Growing Under the Mountain
by IntotheMoon44
Summary: Kingdoms grow quickly, but families grow even faster. Sequel to 'Rue'.
1. Chapter 1 (A new mother)

**This picks up right where 'Rue' left off, so it's rather helpful to read that first, as the first few chapters are going to be from her perspective. If you want to feel your way through it though, by all means go ahead. **

I had heard of the line of Durin when I was young. They were fine race of dwarves that ruled under a mountain. What I could not imagine when I was young was that I would marry into such a family.

The adventure, the quest, marrying Fili…I would have never expected any of that as a girl.

I was asleep right now. Or rather, what passed as sleep. I had given birth two weeks ago, and so the nights had been rather restless. The first one there was so little sleep to be found it was like I did not get a chance to close my eyes. Now, my nights were interrupted routinely every four hours. Right now, I could feel Fili shifting in bed beside me, rising.

"Hmm?" I hummed, rolling over and softly grabbing his wrist.

"Did I wake you?" He asked. "Sorry."

"Anything wakes me now." I whispered back. My eyes were still closed. "Frerin?" I asked.

"Still asleep." He answered.

I opened my eyes, slowly, and smirked. "You look tired too." I said. "The two of us have probably been keeping you awake."

"Not as badly as you." Fili said. He was right, I probably looked awful from my lack of sleep. "Do you want me to stay here today?"

"No, you should check on the kingdom again with Kili and your uncle." I replied. "At least for a while. I can manage by myself for a few hours now I think." I really had no idea if I could, but I would have to learn to.

Fili must have guessed my internal doubt. "I wouldn't mind." He pressed.

"That's kind of you, but I'd have to wake up anyhow to feed him." I added. "You go and see how mad Kili has driven Thorin without you there to keep things organized. I'll be here with Frerin and we'll be fine."

He nodded, dressing quickly, and looking over to me again as I rose from the bed. "Are you-?"

"I'm sure." I nodded. "It's alright." I was always the one to take things head on; taking care of an infant by oneself was no different. Being royalty, we could have gotten…I don't know, a maid or an attendant of some kind, to help with Frerin, but we'd decided against this. Dis had raised Fili and Kili on her own, I had been raised by my own mother too, and quite frankly there was now a new part of my nature that didn't want anyone else touching my baby. Right now, I walked over to where he slept, and couldn't help but smile, despite the fact he had ruined my good nights of sleep.

I loved his hair, it was darker than mine and Fili's (which made sense, both of my parents had dark hair, and so did Dis), though still light enough to be considered blond. I loved the gentle wave it had to it, and the little patch at the back that insistently stood up, no matter how many times you tried to smooth it down. He looked positively angelic when he slept…I could stare at him forever.

"The company will probably come by." Fili said. I nodded, they had all been very excited when Frerin was born…I thought the mountain was still celebrating. Many of our old company were eager to come and see us, but had kept visits to a minimum after the first day to give us some time to adjust, only closer ones, like Kili and Tauriel, actually coming by, and staying for only a short while.

"You don't have to let them in." Fili said. "In fact, you shouldn't. Just focus on Frerin, and yourself."

"Good idea." I answered. I glanced around our house. I had barely managed to keep it appearing clean and organized, and it looked like a mess could burst out of nowhere at any moment.

He began to walk toward the door. "You're still-?"

"I'm still sure." I nodded again, smirking at him, and giving him a little shove. "Off you go." I gave his cheek a quick kiss.

Fili left, heading off to join his brother and uncle in some of the offices in the halls below. Glancing at the clock, I predicted I had twenty or so minutes before Frerin woke himself up. I wanted to curl up back in bed and rest for every second, but my stomach growled obnoxiously, demanding breakfast. I decided to simply pull on a dressing robe over the nightgown I was still in and eat instead.

I made quick work of some eggs and toast, and the feeling of a nice warm breakfast inside me made my head rest against the back of the chair and then my eyelids became heavy.

Frerin began to fuss, starting to make sounds that resembled crying and annoyance, though they were beginning to increase in volume and probably give way to tears. I was startled from my near-slumber, shaking my head of its cobwebs and getting up to see my son.

I peered into his cradle, and his eyes were currently scrunched shut, and his little hands in tight fists, trying to pull away the blankets overtop him. Every so often his eyes would open and large tears would spill out. "Oh dear." I said, picking him up and pulling him close to me. "Shhh…" I hushed. "I'm here now." His crying continued for another moment, but after more soothing Frerin was pacified, and he looked up at me with big tear-streaked eyes and sniffled. "That's better." I smiled. He started to squirm and the corner of his mouth contorted. Obviously, much like my stomach, he was demanding his own breakfast. I seated myself down to feed him, and this he was quite pleased by, no longer threatening tears, and remaining quiet. I watched him, and gently stroked his soft little head, trying (again without success) to smooth his adorable cowlick.

I could understand why my mother had so many children. Holding a baby was lovely, the little warm bundle in your arms, snuggled up against your heart, completely helpless without you and staring up at you with love. How could anyone not adore that?

Once done, Frerin was happy to simply lay in my hold. However, this relaxed state made it very hard for me not to dose off, so our little cuddle was brief. I changed his clothes, while I still remained in my nightgown and dressing robe, and then placed him in a basket of sorts, which I laid on the kitchen table. He stared at me with his big green eyes. He was too young to really smile yet, but he looked happy. "You get to keep me company today." I smiled. "It's just you and me, Frerin." Frerin stared back, and I glanced around. Motherhood was new to me, and I was basing what I did from what I had observed from my own mother, since I had never been left in the charge of a child under the human age of two. Unfortunately, being her last child, I had never seen her multitasking with housework and a baby before. A small hoard of children, yes, but we were old enough to keep ourselves entertained, and mostly out of trouble and didn't need someone to feed and watch us constantly.

So I was trying to think of what she would have done. Likely she would have cleaned something, a lot of children certainly kept our house in a state of near-disorder. I felt my home was in the same state, and had managed to become so with only a single child in it. One that wasn't even able to walk or talk or crawl around yet.

I glanced back down at Frerin, who's eyelids were drifting. "Oh no, no, no…" I said, snatching his tiny foot and shaking it, causing him to wake. "I need you awake so you can go to sleep on time." The last thing I needed was the routine I had established with him to be turned on my head. It was the one thing that made this easier, the predictable timing with which Frerin could eat and sleep, if you managed to keep him awake.

Frerin's eyes bounced back open. Springing into action, I decided to do whatever work I could do near the kitchen table to keep him awake. He was the sort of child that liked to observe, and if you kept him intrigued he could watch something for hours.

I cleaned the pan and plate I had used for my breakfast, keeping an eye on him as he laid in his basket. Frerin would sometimes make a series of soft coos and other noises, trying to grab at my attention. I should have been focusing on the work, but I could not help but indulge him, speaking back, having one-sided conversations.

"Hello." I replied, when he started up. "Hello Frerin, are you enjoying being up on the table?" He sneezed. Oh, it was an adorable little sound. "Oh, bless you." I said, coming over to him, wiping his little nose and giving him a hug.

I swore the reason why houses got so untidy after a baby was born was not because the baby needed to fed and changed every moment, though this did keep one's hands full, but because everything they did was so sweet that you just got distracted by them, and this slowed you down. I would have rather cuddled more with Frerin, than swept up. Reluctantly, I placed him back in the basket, tucking him in. "Later." I promised him. I tried to do more work then, finishing the dishes and moving on to making up the bed (doing this is a rush so I could run back to the infant), then picking up a dish cloth, so I could scrub down the table and countertops. My closer presence was a great development for Frerin, who became more vocal, and also tried to shove his fist in his mouth.

It was as if he knew I wouldn't be able to resist him if he continued to act adorable. I kissed his little head in several places. "You just don't want me to do any work this morning do you?" I asked. "You want me to pay attention to only you." Frerin made a long, babbling sound. Clearly I was right.

I picked up another basket, this one containing pieces of laundry that needed to be folded, and sat at the kitchen table before him, so I could stay close by. Frerin continued to babble on, keeping me smiling. Occasionally I would rub his belly (babies were simply made of belly I had realised) and speak to him more. All went well until…

Frerin began to cry, quite suddenly. It wasn't the first time he had appeared to cry without rhyme or reason. When he persisted I turned my attention to him. "Oh, poor thing." I hushed. "What happened?" I checked him over, but he did not appear wet or hungry. I examined his face. Perhaps he had scratched himself with his (surprisingly sharp) little fingernails. But this did not appear to be the case either.

"Oh dear…"I said, partly to Frerin and partly to myself. I picked him out of the basket and the volume of his cries wavered and lessened. I held him, and he continued to cry, though softer than before. I looked down at the half finished basket of laundry, the neatly folded cloths and clothes on the table, and the sink which I had forgotten to empty of water.

"Shh, darling." I said, hugging him close. Maybe if I could soothe him quickly I could finish all my partly completed chores. "What makes you so sad?" I wiped away the tears. My voice was soft and motherly in tone.

Frerin continued to cry. "Have you noticed Adad is missing?" I asked. This could have been what caused him to begin his crying. He had gotten rather used to having the two of us nearby, and perhaps he was a little lonely now that someone wasn't holding him so much. "Don't be sad, you still have your Amad here. I love you." I held him tight to my shoulder, and sighed. Doing work was better done when one had the use of both hands.

I surrendered and sat down in a chair by the fire place and held him close to me, cuddling him again. Gently rocking Frerin, his tears subsided. He looked peaceful now, feeling safe and warm. I continued to rock him, feeding him again once he had been settled down.

With this finished, it was quiet and warm and relaxing…and that's when I fell asleep.

/

I woke up and the realization came over me very suddenly, hitting my stomach like ice. I had fallen asleep! Holding Frerin no less! Oh my…what if I had dropped him?! I looked down at him and scanned him quickly. He was sound asleep, comfortable in my hold.

I looked at the clock, but had no idea what time it had been when we sat down. I supposed I had been asleep for an hour. Frerin likely had been sleeping this whole time as well. I sighed, getting up, swaddling him in a blanket, and placing him in his cradle to sleep for another hour or two. My body felt so stiff and drained. I couldn't curl up and sleep now, because I had no idea of knowing when Frerin would wake, that predictable routine now gone. Oh…and I would have to stay awake even longer because Frerin would wake up and want to be changed and probably fed again soon and he'd been wide awake for another few hours…oh dear.

I sat down at the kitchen table and sighed, deeply, burrowing my head into my arms, running my hands over my hair and rubbing my temples. Fili wouldn't be back for a few more hours still. He'd probably come if I called for him, but I'd hate to take him away from the kingdom the day he just returned. I wanted to prove to him that I could do this…prove to myself that I could do this.

I was so tired…maybe the help from a maid had been a good idea after all. I shouldn't have dismissed it so completely. Shaking my head, I pulled myself up and glanced around, trying to organize myself again.

There was a knock at the door, probably someone from the company. I couldn't handle any visitors right now. "Hello?" I asked through the doorway. "Now isn't the best of times…"

"It's me." Dis called through the door. "It sounds as if I'm coming just in time too."

I opened the door, wide, despite the fact that I was still in nightclothes. "Dis?"

"Oh Rue…you look like you've been awake for days."

I stood aside so my mother-by-marriage could enter, soon regretting it. My half-done chores lay around the kitchen. Now that I looked more critically on my home, I noticed it needed a good dusting too. Why had I decided I wanted to this all myself and ignore the privileges I would receive as royalty?

"What happened?" Dis asked, reading my face.

"Frerin…I was holding Frerin and I was so tired I fell asleep, and he fell asleep." Dis nodded, understandingly. "I have no idea how long he's been sleeping or how much longer he will be sleeping so I have to stay awake even longer, and I haven't been able to finish anything, and…I'm still in my nightdress."

"I saw Fili working with Thorin and Kili downstairs." Dis nodded. "I thought you might be worn a little thin."

I sat down and resumed folding. "How did you even manage this…and with politics too?"

"About as well as you are right now." Dis patted my shoulder. "Now put down the laundry. Let's get you back in bed."

"Sleep now?" I asked. "But Frerin…"

"Will be fine with me." Dis finished.

"I really shouldn't leave you with all this." I protested. "It's all such a mess."

"Don't be stubborn." Dis concluded. "You'll break yourself for trying too hard. Believe me, I've been where you are and if I had anyone offer to take care of my home and child for a while I would have been back in bed within a moment."

I continued to protest, being as stubborn as I usually was. I had walked miles every day when we were traveling to Erebor, surely a newborn was something managed with much more ease, surely my fatigue had been lower at some point.

Dis would have none of it, and frankly my exhausted brain was too slow and heavy to keep up with any argument. I was pulled back to the bedroom, where I quickly changed into a fresh nightgown, and was tucked into bed as though I was the child.

"Get some rest now." Dis smiled. "It'll do you a world of good."

"You don't mind?" I asked.

"I insist." Dis nodded. "Now close your eyes."

"What if he needs to be fed again…?"

"I'll wake you then. If you haven't had much sleep still, you can go right back to resting when you're finished."

"It doesn't seem fair of me to put this on you." I mumbled, eyelids pulling themselves open still. "I should learn to manage…"

"You can do that when you have the energy for it." Dis promised me. "Trust me, you'll be far better off when you've gotten some sleep."

"You won't let me oversleep, will you?" I asked.

"Not at all." That was the last thing I heard from her before finally succumbing to rest.

/

Fili entered his home, quietly, because Frerin might be asleep again. He was relieved to find his mother standing in the kitchen. "Thank you for coming." He said. "You didn't tell her I sent you, did you?"

"No, I told her I simply noticed you were working today." Dis nodded. "I take it she was a little stubborn in getting you out the door this morning?"

Fili nodded. "Where is Rue now?"

"Asleep." Dis nodded. "She's tucked away in bed."

Fili ducked his head inside the room, and saw her sleeping soundly for the first time since Frerin had been born.

"She really wanted to prove she could manage this." Dis said. "All that effort wore her out."

"Stubborn as a December forge…" Fili mused. "I'm glad I found you, and that you had the time for this."

Frerin began to make his presence known, and Fili drifted to the side of his son. The boy looked almost surprised to see him, but happy as well. Frerin reached out a tiny hand and Fili held out one of his fingers for the infant to grab at. "Hope he wasn't too much of a handful." Fili said.

"I wish you had been as well behaved." Dis said, swatting his shoulder. "I take it my help is no longer needed?"

"No, you can go back to whatever I tore you from earlier." Fili smiled.

His mother made a quiet exit, wishing them all goodbye. Fili picked Frerin up from his basket, turned around, and then spotted Rue in the hallway.

"You sent her?" Rue asked. "After I told you I could manage?"

"You were too tired." Fili replied, noticing her better rested state already. She looked much improved since when he left in the morning.

Rue smiled. "Thank you." She then laughed, coming over to the both of them. "I actually fell asleep holding him." Seeing the look of shock on his face she quickly added "I didn't drop him though, thank Mahal."

"We could still see about getting someone to help you…" Fili suggested.

Rue shook her head. "Sleep is a wonderful thing, but Frerin is even more precious." She said. "I was raised by my mother and father, you were raised by your mother, and Frerin will raised the same way. He's not going to look back on his infanthood and think of some ladies maid that held him when he cried."

"He likely won't remember his infanthood." Fili smiled. "But I'm sure he'll appreciate it all the same."

Rue tried to smooth down that standing patch of hair on the back of Frerin's head again. "One day I'll be able to do this." She said. "We'll be able to do this, and we'll look back on this day and wonder why we thought it so tiring in the first place."

Yes, when Frerin was older and a little more capable of minding himself. Silently, both of them committed the moment to memory, happy that for now that day was so far off.


	2. Chapter 2 (The forge incident)

**Sunday update.**

Frerin was undoubtedly the most adorable and well behaved child in the world. True, being his mother, I may have been a little biased in saying so, but he was very good and very sweet.

True to my goals, I managed to get through the first rough stage of motherhood, for the most part without incident. Now that I had finally found a way to work through everything the tot could throw at me I was able to help with Erebor again. Thorin was only too happy to place a box of records on my desk, and I was dismayed to find I would be working with mathematics again. Doubly so when I noticed the presence of fractions on the parchments.

At first, Fili and I took turns minding Frerin, so one of us could be productive, and when we became too busy Kili, Tauriel or Dis would sometimes watch him for a short while. Now he was a bit older and I found he could sit on my lap as I worked, or Fili's, and stay there contentedly for two or even three hours, watching people run back and forth.

Of course, when he became bored of watching people and papers, his mood took unpredictable turns. Sometimes he would become cross and other times he turned sad. Fili and I thought his annoyed little mood the most charming, because his face would turn comically grumpy and he had the cutest little pout. That and he would refuse to look at us if it turned worse enough. Frerin would turn his back to you, and when you surrounded him he'd simply cover his eyes with his hands. Whenever this happened I'd stop my day's work and bring him home, where he could be as playful and boisterous as he wanted to be.

He was starting to act annoyed right now, squirming on my lap, and trying to climb down. I gently placed him on the floor, and he crawled under my desk, placing himself at my feet, and then trying to raid the drawers for anything and everything.

"Frerin…" I said, with warning in my tone. He froze, and then smiled up at me angelically from his spot on the floor.

Frerin did not attempt to break into the drawers again, but he did decide to move around the office. Normally, I would allow him to, since he was so good about keeping a safe distance from the fireplace, but today there were a number of scribes rushing around, and the last thing I wanted was for Ori to trip over my child, and drop the small mountain of books he was carrying on him.

I was rising to retrieve Frerin when the door burst open and in raced little Tilda. Well…maybe 'little' was not so good a description anymore. She was now twelve, soon to be thirteen, and taller than me. "We finished it!" She said excitedly. Frerin babbled and smiled at Tilda. "Hello!" Tilda cheered, picking him up.

"Tilda she may be working." Sigrid was heard. The lady Sigrid entered, with her own child nestled on her hip. Ronan and Frerin looked the same age, despite the fact that Frerin was three times older. For now they made decent playmates, but in a few years Ronan would be running around, training with a sword, and Frerin would still be a young child, playing with wooden blades.

"What have you finished?" I asked, stashing away the records.

"The tapestry." Tilda said, bouncing Frerin in her arms.

"The one that you found years ago in our trading post." Sigrid said. "The original burnt in the fire, but we think this new one will serve nicely in its place."

"Oh." I said, taking the bundle that Sigrid was holding under her other arm. "I remember now."

"Now that Dale is in nearly proper order again, we've had the time to make it." Sigrid said.

"It took forever to hunt down all the lineages." Tilda huffed. "Oh hello Tauriel!"

"Miss Tilda." Tauriel nodded at the young girl. Tilda rather enjoyed being called 'miss', it probably made her feel grown up. "I thought I heard you in the halls."

"Anyone could probably hear her…"Sigrid sighed, placing Ronan down. Even when she had gotten married and had a child of her own, Sigrid still kept an eye on her younger siblings like she did when we had first met her.

"Open it." Tilda smiled, nodding at the parcel and handing over Frerin to Tauriel so she could help me untie the strings. Tauriel seated herself on a nearby stool, with Frerin on her knees and Ronan at her feet. She looked like such a beautiful mother. I hoped she had her own child soon.

"Did Bard's girls come visitng?" Kili ducked his head inside. "Or is Tilda's voice still echoing from her last visit?"

"Very funny." Tilda replied. "We brought the Durin tapestry."

Kili walked in and smiled at Tauriel and the young ones. He glanced over the new tapestry and beamed. "Good to see I'm on this one." He said.

"Frerin's on here too." I smiled, seeing the little crest with his name on it. "And so is his Great-uncle." I pointed out the Frerin he was named after.

"It's lovely." Ori spoke up, catching a quick look as he shuttled books around.

"What has made everyone stop working?" Thorin asked, appearing in the doorway.

"A gift from Lord Bard." I answered, my eyes still examining the details of the fabric, and not looking up to greet Thorin.

"The tapestry he was talking about?" Fili strode in, brushing past his uncle. Frerin reached out for his father and Fili lifted him from Tauriel's grasp."Ha! This one you're on, Kili."

"Has everyone gone deaf to me? Did I not say this morning we had deadlines?" Thorin asked, growing a bit annoyed. "The people are waiting for answers."

"Did anyone hear that? It sounded like a voice." Kili joked, smirking as he caught the glare Thorin cast his way.

"Don't worry Thorin, I'm ahead in my work." I nodded, before the vein in his forehead could show itself. "Besides, we have plenty of time still."

Thorin allowed a brief visitation from Bard's family, and then shooed them politely away. The coming of winter always brought a lot of work with it. Food storages needed to be checked, last minute repairs done, and the forge chimneys swept out so they would not be clogged with the mountains great snowfalls. Thorin also said because I was making such good progress I may start work on yet another box of papers.

I sighed when Ori delivered the box with an apologetic smile, seating myself down, and handing off Frerin to Fili so I would not become distracted as I worked.

/

Frerin smiled happily on Fili's knee. Fili had to hold him in place with one of his hands, the other writing away. Whenever he had to reach for a seal or stamp he had to place the quill between his teeth, to keep his son secure. Frerin would always smirk when he did so, and a small bubble of laughter was sometimes heard. Fili was just happy that the boy was able to sit still, despite his age. He and Kili had never managed to sit in place anywhere for more than half an hour growing up. At least, that's what his mother repeatedly said when she remarked how good Frerin was compared to them.

Frerin had been sitting on his knee for an hour now, and Fili glanced over to the clock. The lad would be getting tired soon (hopefully, he had done very little else this morning except sit on everyone's laps and watch the daily workings of Erebor), and Rue would probably be finished around the same time with any luck.

Perhaps he best think of a way to tire him out.

The door opened and in walked Bofur and Kili. Perfect. Frerin was already trying to wriggle down to the much more appealing pastime. Fili released his son and Frerin crawled and rolled in the direction of the two.

Kili immediately swooped down, grabbing his nephew, and tossing him high up into the air. Rue hated it when he did that, she was worried that Kili would accidently drop Frerin, or fail to catch him. Kili had since ceased doing it around her, but when she was gone he did it all the time. Frerin loved it, his laughter would be loud when Kili caught him, and he squealed happily when he was thrown upwards.

"I told you I'd be his favorite uncle." Kili said.

"Strictly speakin', you're his only uncle." Bofur added. "Though when he learns the word, I'm sure we'll all have him calling us that."

"Finished yet?" Kili asked his brother.

"Almost." Fili said.

"I'd be happy to take the princeling off your hands." Kili said. Bofur ruffled Frerin's hair, making the boy's cowlick stand aggressively up. Soon Frerin's hair would grow long and thick enough for them to put a little braid in it. One for children of nobility and heirs. He and Kili had braids like that growing up.

"Wonderful, tire him out all you want." Fili smiled. "He's done nothing but sit all day."

"I still don't understand how on earth he can do that." Kili muttered. "Sit so straight and still while everyone works."

"He's a natural born ruler." Bofur smiled. "He knows he'll be doing the same when he grows up."

"However he manages it, don't teach him any different." Fili said. "It's helpful right now, and it means that Rue can work again."

"Ah, not to worry." Kili said. "We'll take him down to the forge, plenty to look at down there for the little lad."

"Good idea." Fili nodded. He looked up. "Just remember…it's probably best not to tell Rue."

"Why? Frerin won't go near the forge fires."

"I know, but it's not the usual place one takes a dwarrow that size."

"You mean she just doesn't trust me yet to look after him down there." Kili replied. "He'll be fine." Kili assured him and the three exited the workroom.

Frerin was well received in the halls, plenty of dwarves pausing and smiling at him, and giving Kili a friendly nod of the head. Kili carried him down to the forge and Frerin's eyes widened at the new surroundings. His head started turning in a hundred directions, curious and eager to absorb each new sight and sound.

The forge was notably louder than the halls, thick with the sound of hammers, bellows, men shouting over the noise and furnaces roaring. Frerin soon covered his ears with his hands, but made no other protests to the strange environment, his intrigue overpowering any unpleasantness to his little ears.

"Master Dwalin!" Kili greeted, noticing his friend working on a few blades.

"Kili, Bofur." Dwalin, his face covered with soot from working so close to the forge, glanced up. "Ah, and the little prince has come as well I see."

"Aye, time he got out of that stuffy old office." Bofur nodded, despite the fact the forge could get quite hot and stuffy as well.

Kili held the little boy closer to the floor, swooping him to different corners of Dwalin's work space. The first spot he took him was straight up to the blazing forge. "Frerin, this is hot. Don't touch this." He said, his tone a serious one. Frerin looked at the flames and hot coals burning, his hands still over his ears. Kili then transported him to other areas of caution, pausing to say "This is sharp. Don't touch this" and "This is also hot, so don't touch this either" and "This is heavy, so don't play under here or you might be squashed and your Amad will kill me". With these warnings finished he set his nephew on the floor in a safe location and Frerin sat and stared at the busy forge, crawling this way and that, but staying away from all the places his uncle had shown him.

"He's growing fast now." Bofur said, noticing the ease with which Frerin could move. "Won't be long before he starts walking about…and Mahal knows Fili and Rue will have their hands full then."

"They'll be fine." Dwalin replied. "The first child is always the better behaved…it's the second born you have to keep your eye on." His eyes flickered over to Kili.

"Oi! I was not that terrible…"

"Really? I think there's still a giant lump on the floor in that forge back in Ered Luin from when you dropped some molten iron."

"I tripped, I didn't do that on purpose." Kili defended himself.

"We were lucky you didn't burn yourself." Bofur smirked at the memory.

"Fili got into plenty of trouble too, he was certainly no prize son either." Kili grumbled, recalling the incident and the hiding he received for it.

"Hardly, compared to you." Dwalin laughed.

"Well, look at me now. Prince of Erebor, helping my brother and uncle dutifully, a wonderful uncle…" Dwalin and Bofur both burst out laughing. "What is it now?" Kili groaned.

"Well, _wonderful uncle, _you forgot to tell Frerin to stay away from the ash sweepings." Bofur chuckled.

Kili spun around, and there was his nephew, positively smothered in black dirt and dust, playing with handfuls of the mess and smearing handprints and patterns onto the floor. "Frerin!" He said sharply. The boy looked up at him with round, innocent eyes. "Put that down!" Kili exclaimed. Frerin dropped his fistfuls of ashes. Kili rushed over and took a better look at Frerin. Yes, he was well covered in ashes. The dirt was even in his ears, because he had kept putting his dirty hands over them to quiet the noise of the forge. He couldn't return him to Fili like this. Kili picked Frerin up, cursing. He grimaced over his choice of words, but didn't dwell on it. Frerin was still too young to comprehend it, and he had covered his ears once more anyhow. Holding the boy at arm's length, he looked over to Dwalin and Bofur. "What now?" He asked.

"I'm no expert, but I think a bath would do the trick." Bofur replied, still laughing.

"Go out through the back." Dwalin snickered. "You can rush over to your house that way without too many people seeing what's happened."

Kili did this, closing the door tightly behind him and looking down at his messy nephew again. Mahal, his sandy blond hair was near black. Rue was going to be furious. Fili was probably going to laugh his head off at him.

"Kili…?" Tauriel's voice called.

"Run a bath." Kili responded, forgetting to say hello or explain anything.

"What for?" Tauriel came to the entrance of their home. Her eyes instantly fell upon Frerin, who smiled and waved at his aunt. "Oh my." She said. "What-?"

"I took him to the forge, and he was very good…didn't go anywhere I told him not to, but…I may have forgot to warn him about the ash sweepings."

"Give him to me." Tauriel said, and Kili transferred Frerin to her. "He looks as if he's been playing in a fireplace." Tauriel carried the little boy to their bathing room, and sat him down in the middle of the floor, beginning to undress him of every dirty garment. Frerin sat patiently, and even held up his arms for his aunt to remove his tunic. Kili found a large basin to bathe Frerin in, because their bathtub was too deep to easily clean a child, not to mention it would have been awfully big for the boy even if it was shallow.

Soon they had filled it with water and Tauriel judged it a safe enough temperature to place a young child inside. Frerin was plopped into the warm water of the basin and Tauriel began to scrub away. "Dunk his clothes in the sink. We'll have to clean them later." Tauriel said. "I think Rue left one of his nightshirts here during their last visit, we'll dress him in that."

Frerin sat still, occasionally splashing, as the water around him turned black. He looked up at Tauriel with big eyes, as though he was asking if he was in trouble. Tauriel gave him a warm smile and his worried look vanished. He continued to splash, not minding the bath.

"It's the second born you have to keep an eye on…of course it is…." Kili muttered, beginning to wash Frerin's hair, hoping the blond would show through soon. "Playing in ashes…it had to be ashes not simply… hay or something."

"Well, you didn't tell him he wasn't allowed to." Tauriel defended their wet, black streaked nephew. "Frerin won't do anything you tell him not to. He must have assumed he could." She paused for a moment. "…and why on earth would you bring him to the forge in the first place?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Kili said, preparing to spill water over Frerin's head. Tauriel placed her hands along Frerin's eyebrows, keeping the soapy water away as Kili rinsed Frerin's hair out. This also rinsed much of the dirt off him. "He didn't mind the place at all."

"When are Fili and Rue expecting him?" Tauriel asked.

"No idea, but they'll probably come by here when they can't find us." Kili answered. "We better hurry."

Kili went to quickly lauder Frerin's clothes, and then place them close to the fireplace to dry. Tauriel gently cleaned out Frerin's ears. Frerin was smiling and splashing with his feet, as he was turned from black to a nice, freshly scrubbed, pink. Quickly he was wrapped in a towel, and then he laughed when Tauriel dried him off (it must have tickled) and threw him into a nightshirt. "All finished." Tauriel sighed. Frerin began to rub his eyes sleepily, the great rush, excitement, and warm bath wearing him out.

Tauriel placed the boy on the sofa, where he curled up on one of the cushions. Kili tossed a blanket over him. "You think he'll sleep here?" Kili asked his wife.

"Definitely." Tauriel nodded. "Look at his eyes." Indeed they were starting to droop. "Close…and open…and close…" Tauriel spoke softly as Frerin's eyelids wavered, stroking his soft head. "…and open and…" She paused for moment and then Frerin fell asleep, his eyelids closing firmly shut. "Sleep well Frerin." She tucked the blanket securely around him.

"He'll be out for a while now." Kili smiled. "Fili and Rue will be pleased."

Tauriel nodded, and the two of them stared at the sleeping child. "He looks so peaceful…so sweet." Tauriel whispered. "Your brother and Rue are so lucky to have such a good child."

"It's no wonder they're so happy with him around." Kili agreed.

In the back of their minds they both knew of what the other was thinking. Of that other child they had held, and loved, if only for a single night…

"I envy them sometimes." Kili said abruptly. "If…if things had been more fortunate Frerin would have a cousin, not too much older than himself. Someone to get into a bit of trouble with."

"Envy finds a place in my heart as well." Tauriel agreed. "For now though I am happy to have at least a nephew…" She smiled. "One day things will be different, hopefully."

"If we're ever blessed enough, we shouldn't hope he would be as good…he would probably be as much a handful as I was."

"I don't know…he would have some elf in him."

"From that he would get pointy ears and cheekbones. All his antics would come from a dwarven background."

"I'd welcome it." Tauriel said. "I've faced down orcs and giant spiders…I think I'm well prepared for a child that is as reckless as you."

Kili smirked. "You certainly do well with Frerin."

"So do you. He lights up whenever he sees you."

"That's because I'm his favorite uncle."

Tauriel laughed softly at the term.

When Frerin was retrieved by his parents at last, they made no mention of the ashes, though it was quite evident he had received a bath, and Rue was eyeing the freshly washed clothes curiously. Likely she assumed Frerin had only spilt something.

Kili and Tauriel were then beside themselves again. It was just the two of them, and some hope for the future.


	3. Chapter 3 (Keeper of the heir)

**Because it was a good idea (thanks Louisana).**

He as was the great King under the Mountain, the one who had reclaimed his homeland, he was Thorin Oakenshield, the warrior who had driven back that filth, Azog the Defiler, in Moria…

Frerin looked up at him from atop his knee. "I can help?" He asked, in his young voice.

…and today he had been reduced to the keeper of his youngest heir.

"No Frerin. Not today." Thorin replied.

Frerin sat quietly for a minute, gently fiddling with the little braid by his ear. Then he looked up at him again with bright eyes. "Please?" He added. For a toddler who only knew a few dozen words, he sure knew what to say at times.

"Frerin…" Thorin said, authoritatively.

"Thorin…." Frerin mimicked his tone. He hadn't mastered the word 'uncle' yet. Nor would he understand what a great uncle was.

"Are you bored?" Thorin asked. The little boy must have been, he'd been sitting on his knee for a while. Thorin had first sat him on a small stool by his desk, but the boy did love the closeness and insisted on his lap after enduring the seat for a few minutes. It was alright for now, he was still quite young, but he starting to grow fast.

"Yes." Frerin answered, nodding.

Thorin sighed. When Fili and Kili had been bored as children it had often ended destructively. "What do you know how to do?" Thorin asked, considering. "How do you help Adad and Amad?"

"Stamp." Frerin replied. "Books." You never had to draw an answer from him, he knew how to reply. Frerin probably understood the meaning of more words than he currently knew how to say.

"Then you can put that book back on my shelf." Thorin nodded to an old journal at the corner of the desk.

Frerin slide off his knee and grabbed the book. He was good at walking now, sometimes a little unsteady, but he managed to keep himself upright and moving. Thorin watched the small boy cross the room and gently put the book back in an empty space. "Bring back the green one on the bottom shelf." He called over. Thorin didn't really need it, but Frerin needed something to do, to make him think he was helping.

Frerin grabbed the corners of the book, a rather large volume. He tugged the book from its place on the bottom shelf and it fell with a soft thud onto the floor, opening. Frerin closed the book and then tried to lift it…and tried to lift it again…and again…and eventually just started sliding it as it was across the floor. Thorin looked down when he felt something ram against his foot. "Too heavy." Frerin explained.

Thorin realised that it was a rather heavy volume, and he should have known Frerin would still be too small to carry it back. "Thank you." He nodded, picking it up. He then placed Frerin back on his knee.

Why had Fili and Rue trusted him with their child? Why had they chosen to both go to Mirkwood? How dare Kili and Tauriel go with them when they were clearly better candidates for this!

They had to routinely visit, being partners in trade now, to see if all was well in the agreements. Trips to Mirkwood usually occurred once or twice a year, depending on how smoothly operations were going. The elf king would also visit Erebor occasionally, for the same reasons. The last few years Rue had stayed in Erebor, because Frerin was so young, but now she had decided to go on the three day excursion as well. Frerin of course had been wonderfully behaved during the first two days, but it was getting rather obvious he missed his parents. Rue or Fili would put aside work in the afternoon so they could play with him and tire him out. Thorin could not afford that luxury, being king, and currently the only one in Erebor with the authority to run the little prince, no matter how content he was to help in the offices, was likely bored out of his mind.

"Would you like it better if you spent the afternoon with Bofur? Or Master Balin?" Surely one of the company would gladly take the lad for a few hours and show him more fun than this. They had in the last two evenings so the boy would be tired enough to sleep. Just yesterday he had seen Frerin racing through the halls with Ori, Nori and Dori.

"No. Thorin." Frerin answered, hugging his arm. No, evidently Frerin wanted to stay with him.

"Are you sure?" Thorin asked. "It would be much more fun for you if you did."

"No." Frerin shook his head.

Thorin sighed, and continued writing. When he finally finished the record, he took a wax seal and placed it in the corner of the page, gently melting it down with a candle, then passed the stamp toward Frerin, who very carefully placed it overtop and firmly pressed, leaving the image of the Durin family crest in the red wax. The boy was getting very good at this task.

"All done?" Frerin asked.

"No." Thorin answered. Frerin sighed heavily.

Thorin continued to write, but Frerin's patience was finally lost it seemed, the young lad could hardly keep still. At last, Frerin sighed again, then his expression turned serious.

The boy reached over and started closing books and piling parchment. "Frerin, stop." Thorin said. "I still need those."

Frerin gave him a long, hard look. "No more."

"No more?" Thorin repeated. "No. Frerin I have to-"

"No more work." Frerin interrupted. "Stop."

"Frerin, I understand this can be boring for a child. Believe me I was in your place when I was young. But I have-"

"No more."

"-I have responsibilities as king. I cannot fall behind in my work. If-"

"No more."

Thorin glared the smallest bit. "-if you want to do something else-"

"No more. Stop."

"-Then you will have to play with someone else."

"No more. Stop now."

"Frerin!" Thorin snapped. He did not enjoy being argued with in the first place, and to be arguing with a child was not only aggravating but foolish to him.

"No more! No, no, no!" Frerin protested. It was unlike the boy to fight back so much. The lad slammed the book nearest them closed.

"Stop that!" Thorin scolded. He was louder than he expected and this outburst startled Frerin.

The change over him was instantaneous. His face turned from annoyed to guilty and apologetic. Frerin sniffed. "Sorry." He reopened the book. "Sorry."

Thorin felt a strange emotion building in him, something like a pain in his heart. He actually felt some guilt for snapping at the child. Frerin was a good child, and it was not his fault the surroundings were so dull. He was so bored, and all he wanted to do was have some fun with his great uncle instead of spending a third day working. Thorin suddenly hoped he hadn't actually scared the boy. Frerin was not yelled at often, not from any lack of discipline, but because he so rarely misbehaved.

"Frerin?" Thorin addressed the boy on his knee.

"Hmm?" Frerin looked up at him for a second, but then avoided his eyes, like any child who feels they are in trouble does.

Thorin closed the books. "Fine. We are finished."

"All done?"

"Yes. All done." Thorin smiled a little. "But don't close my books on me again, understand?" He added seriously.

Frerin shook his head, his little braid swinging. "No touch." He promised.

Thorin packed up his work (it nearly killed him to do so, but Frerin's eyes were big and bright and positively begging him to) and then scooped up the distant nephew of his. Frerin would point to places in the halls, often saying a word or phrase with which he associated them.

The offices were 'work', the libraries were 'books', and the forge was 'hot, no touch'.

Thorin carried Frerin down to throne room, because it was big and empty at present, and the lad could therefore run around all he wanted.

That was precisely what Frerin did the second he was placed back on the floor. He shot off and sped in a great big circle. Thorin watched him. Frerin returned to him soon, and then stood before him, breathing hard. He then playfully smacked his leg and bolted, inviting Thorin to give chase.

Truly he had not been reduced to this…

Frerin was laughing, enjoying the scenario as he dashed behind a pillar, tripping once, but quickly gathering himself back to his feet with no fuss.

Thorin sighed and raced over. He reached behind the pillar but found Thorin was no longer there. There a distinctly childish laughter in front of the pillar, the young lad had merely slipped around, and found his great uncle's surprise amusing.

Frerin then raced across the room, and Thorin followed. In the back of his mind, Thorin was reminded of times long ago, before Smaug, when he had been a child and had chased down his younger brother (also named Frerin) and Dis.

He then recalled doing the same thing with his nephews.

Today he was doing the same with Frerin…

Mahal…surely he was not that old.

Frerin continued to run until he tired himself out, and plopped down on the floor, out of breath and stretched out. Thorin took this opportunity to scoop him up again. The boy's head rested against his shoulder. "More?" He asked breathlessly.

"Aren't you tired?"

"No." The answer of practically wheezed out.

"How about we rest just a little while? Yes?"

"Yes."

Thorin carried him across the room to the throne, the only chair in the room, and sat down, with a great tired sigh. You wouldn't think a thing so small could run so bloody fast…and whenever he had caught up to the boy he felt he should stay back, for fear of tripping him or stumbling over him.

"Me?" The little voice of Frerin drew him out of his head. For a second Thorin thought the toddler had read his mind and known he had been thinking about him. "Me?" Frerin asked again, pointing at the throne.

"You want to sit here?" Thorin asked.

"Yes." Frerin smiled.

Thorin complied, rising and letting Frerin occupy the seat by himself. Frerin sat in it with his back straight and his arms (or to be more accurate, at this point just his hands) resting against the arm rests. He had seen Thorin sit in the throne many times and was copying him.

Of course, the boy was so small that it did look silly. He looked almost lost in the big chair, his feet didn't even reach over the end.

"Look at you." Thorin mused. "To think you'll be king of Erebor one day…"

Frerin continued to smile.

"If how you act now is any indication of your rule I'm glad to know we'll be in such capable hands." Frerin watched him. "You're too young to understand it now, how much this place means to us. Especially after we reclaimed it. This is home Frerin. For home you live and fight, and even die."

Truth be told Frerin had no concept of death yet, which was how it should be, and Thorin wondered briefly if he should be bringing up such a delicate topic, even if it was falling on deaf ears.

"You look so small in my throne." He observed aloud. "It's almost hard to believe you'll ever grow into it." Thorin knelt to better face the boy. "I'll never see you sit here, little son of Durin. Not officially, as king of Erebor. When I am old and withered I shall pass it on to your father. You'll be a man then, not some child like you are now. Then I shall die, and when I am nothing but dust and bones you'll father will be aged, and you will be an older, wiser man, and you shall sit on this throne finally. That day there will be cheer and you will finally realise why it is not so often that a king can put aside books and papers and quills so he can chase down a child and race through the throne room. I doubt if you'll recall this day when your coronation finally comes. If I were alive I would…but I shall not see that day."

Frerin reached out and gently patted his great uncle's head. Then his face broke out into a very wide smile. "Amad! Adad!" He cheered and scrambled from the throne.

Thorin froze, then peered over his shoulder as the child raced straight up to his parents. Rue picked him up in her arms and delivered a large kiss to his cheek. "Did you miss us, darling?" She asked.

"Yes." Frerin nodded. "Yes."

"Did you drive your great uncle Thorin mad?" Fili asked the boy, ruffling his hair. Frerin's cowlick resurfaced.

"Yes." Frerin answered, probably referring to the incident earlier that day.

"Yes?" Rue asked. "Oh how wonderful!" She smirked in Thorin's direction.

"He was hardly any trouble." Thorin said, getting up. "Though next time you visit Mirkwood I would take him with you."

"Perhaps we should…" Rue mused. "He'd like it there I think…and no one would speak to him about nasty things like the death of his family." She added, with an icy glare.

So they had heard the conversation. Thorin grimaced.

"Not that the speech wasn't heartwarming, Uncle." Fili said.

"It wasn't meant to scare him." Thorin said. "Only remind him of his responsibilities, and his proud family."

Rue nodded, hugging Frerin to her.

"He missed you two." Thorin added.

"Not as much as we missed him, I'm sure." Rue replied. "Let's say we quickly get his things and then return home?"

Frerin nodded, liking that idea very much.

"You two go on. I'll retrieve his bag." Fili said, and Rue and Frerin headed off, hand in hand.

"I think I remember a speech like that…" Fili continued when they had exited.

"When?" Thorin asked.

"I believe you gave Kili and I a very similar one before we left to reclaim Erebor." Fili answered.

/

Frerin was tired out when we finally finished the unpacking at home. He managed to stay awake through dinner, but after that he was rubbing his eyes and yawning. I dressed him in his nightshirt and he fell asleep nestled beside Fili, who was telling him a story of when he had been young in Ered Luin. I then picked him up and tucked him into his bed, gently kissing his little head and tracing the child's braid in his hair.

"It sounds like he had quite the afternoon with Uncle." Fili replied.

"Yes, I'm sure he enjoyed running around the throne room with him." I smiled, picking up a little wooden figure of an Eagle from Frerin's floor. "He looked so sweet in that great big throne too."

"You're not too upset with Thorin?"

"Oh, not really." I shrugged. "Although I wouldn't have him being reminded of things like duty, and responsibility and the throne every day. He's only a child for now." I sighed. "I'm glad he shows such interest in our daily work, but I'm even happier that he is capable of being bored by it, and demanding to spend afternoons at play."

Fili laughed. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"I was reminded of all the times I came home and the two of you would be playing in the sitting room and it would be like I was finding two children."

"I am not a child." I huffed, dismissing his comparison. "Only a mother." However, I too recalled those lovely afternoons quite fondly. I was so happy we had never gotten an attendant to mind Frerin, because this made me one of his most beloved playfellows. I thought I would be so relieved when I went to Mirkwood, to finally have a break from minding my child. It had been lovely, and I was sweetly reminded of those pleasant days when it had been only Fili and I, but I found I missed him, hearing his voice, playing with him, even if that made me appear childish. Fili did the same, he and his son wrestled (gently, Frerin was still small) on the floor.

He had grown so fast…I was suddenly quite glad of our extended life span, because it meant that Frerin would stay smaller for a while longer. Time still seemed to slip by however.

I sat down by the fire, beside Fili. "Do you suppose Thorin didn't enjoy taking care of him?" I asked. "I know Frerin's a good child but-"

"Uncle doesn't feel he has the time to indulge in chases anymore." Fili interrupted me. "Or at least he felt that way while Kili and I were away. He was the only one that could work here."

"Did he ever indulge in any with you and your brother?"

"Mahal…hundreds of times. Our poor mother would set us loose and away we'd run and Uncle would have to go looking for us, hiding out in the woods or the halls of Ered Luin…good thing Frerin hasn't learned to hide yet."

I laughed softly, images of a little Fili and Kili racing around trees and hiding out together, swimming in my head.

"Indeed, five year olds are probably lower on his list of priorities." I agreed.

"Five?" Fili asked. "Surely our son can't be five already."

I nodded. "He is. I can hardly think so too." I looked over at Fili. "What were you doing at five?"

"I can't recall it all too clearly, though I'm sure mother would say I was up to no good. Kili would have been only a newborn."

"You definitely were never bored with him around."

"It was Kili, he was always doing something…usually something mischievous…" He smirked. "What were you doing at five years old?"

"Chasing after my brothers." I responded. "I can't recall it exactly but it seems the most logical answer."

"Frerin doesn't have anyone to chase yet…"

"Not yet." I nodded. "Though he likely will in time." I knew I wanted more than one child, I had been surrounded by people and could not imagine having grown up without a single sibling by my side.

"I was five when I became an older brother…and your family had around the same age gap between children…"

"Fili…"

"Frerin's fast asleep…"

"Fili!"

Such arguing was really pointless though. I loved him and our little son, and any other little one that the future might bring along. That and his kisses were practically intoxicating, lowering my resolve quite effectively. I fell asleep that night warm and happy.

I woke earlier than Fili did the next morning. I smiled, turned over, and woke him with a long, loving kiss. "Morning." I whispered.

"Good morning." He replied, trailing a hand up and down my back.

Truly, it was.


	4. Chapter 4 (The secret of Fien)

**Update time...a day late...oops. **

"Frerin?" I captured the young boy's attention. He looked over at me from across our table with a smile.

"Do you remember Ronan?" Sigrid's son was now (in appearance) much older than him, and his current playfellow from Dale was Sigrid's second son, Dagon.

"Yes." Frerin nodded.

"And of course you know Dagon." I added. "You like playing with them, yes?"

"Yes!" Frerin beamed, before taking a big bite of his lunch. "Visit today?"

"Yes they're all coming today." I smiled. "Bard's family, Hana and Ander, even the queen of the Sothern tribe herself."

Frerin squirmed excitedly in his chair. He loved our friends very much. He had simply too much fun with Ander, and he loved cuddling in Hana's lap in the evenings (she was so sweet how could he not?) and he liked to watch Varis fight, just as he enjoyed watching me spar. Tilda adored him, and he her, and Sigrid watched over him as she did her own little ones.

I focused on my current task at hand. "It's too bad Ronan and Dagon can't come every day." I said. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Yes." Frerin nodded. "Lots of fun."

I laughed at him, quietly. "You know…Ronan and Dagon are brothers…you know what a brother is don't you?"

"Adad and…" He paused in concentration. "…Uncle (this word he said slowly, having very recently learned how to say it) Kili."

"Yes, they're brothers." I nodded. "I had brothers too, and I was their sister, because I'm a girl."

Frerin nodded, eating his lunch and listening to me.

"Would you like a brother or sister Frerin?" I asked.

Frerin paused, took another bite, seemed to think as he chewed, swallowed and at last answered "Yes."

"What if I told you…that you would soon have one?" I asked.

Frerin was confused by this. I decided to explain further. "You know you were once a little baby?"

Frerin did understand what a baby was, and he nodded. "Well…families have more than one baby sometimes." I tried to explain. "So the first baby can have brothers and sisters."

Frerin grinned and laughed a little.

"Can I tell you a secret Frerin?" I asked.

Frerin nodded that I could and then got up from his chair and climbed onto my lap so I may whisper it in his ear.

I couldn't help but smile at his eager face. I gently whispered to him "I'm going to have another baby."

Frerin's face lit up, clearly happy. "Ohhh….!" He beamed.

"But you mustn't tell anyone yet, not till later." I added. "It's a secret."

"Shhh." Frerin hushed with a finger up against his lips.

"Good lad." I smiled. "Now finish your lunch and then we'll go down to the gates and wait for our visitors to arrive."

Frerin finished eating very quickly in his growing excitement, and we arrived at the gate just in time to see the nymphs entering.

"It is a privilege to be invited as your honored guest, your little Majesty!" Ander greeted my son loudly, prostrating himself on the ground before the child. Frerin laughed at him, and Ander was smiling broadly.

"Ander!" Hana laughed, coming inside Erebor dressed in lovely silver garments as usual. "Rue." She smiled daintily at me.

"Get up, you're making a fool of yourself." Varis snapped.

"Oh, but he is royalty Varis." Ander said. "And it's not as though I'm embarrassing anyone but myself."

"You're incapable of becoming embarrassed." I greeted. "Welcome back to Erebor."

"It is lovely to be back." Hana embraced me and then Frerin. "I actually missed this place…the halls, the dinners, the…"

"The libraries?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Of course, I was poking fun at her and Ori's sweet friendship. Whenever Hana visited her mornings and some of her evenings were spent in the library, alongside him as he worked. Ander had noticed this as well, and teased her in a similar fashion. Right now he glanced up and said "Oh, she's been dying to get back in those libraries…no library in the North has her so enraptured."

Hana blushed, trying to hide it by fiddling with her curly hair. "I suppose those as well."

"You suppose…after you wrote all those love letters to that scribe?" Ander joked.

"They…they were…they were not love letters!" Hana nearly squeaked.

I was laughing good naturedly now. "Enough Ander." I said. "Leave your sister be."

"They were simply some friendly correspondences." Hana defended.

"Of course." I agreed, "Varis?" I looked over Hana's shoulder. "I hope this time we can have a lively little spar?"

"I agree." Varis nodded, violet eyes flashing brightly. Frerin sat at the end of her cloak, made of the fur of the White Warg she had killed in that battle years ago. He waited for her to start walking so he may ride around, but Varis looked over her shoulder and said "Excuse me?"

Frerin grinned, and Varis began to stride away, indulging him for a few seconds until she (gently) tipped him over, freeing herself.

Tilda appeared shortly thereafter, with her sister and family in pursuit. Oh Tilda…sweet pretty sixteen year old Tilda.

"Tilda!" I embraced her fondly. "My goodness…I do believe you grew yet again."

"As she should be." Sigrid agreed. "I'm happy she transformed into such a nice little lady."

"What happened to you?" I asked Tilda.

"Rue, I only grew up." She responded. Her smile was still the same, thank Navestal and Mahal.

"Don't speak of growing up." I answered. "What happened to that little girl who was so excited when a little lady walked up with the dwarves coming out of her toilet?"

"I wanted to keep you…" Tilda laughed at the memory. "Like a kitten."

"I believe that was my line." Sigrid clarified. "Though it was lovely having you for a little while in that old house on the lake."

I grinned. Here we were in the beautiful peak of summer again, with visitors to spend our next few weeks with and hunting parties nearly every day, and so many spars ahead of us, and peaceful evenings. Tauriel's favorite constellations would be passing through the night sky in this season, and the weather was warm enough to bring Frerin out onto the little plateaus without need for cloaks or jackets. Not to mention there would be a few holidays, that entitled fine meals and cheer.

And of course I would soon have to announce my good news to others beside my little son…

Varis was quite intent on having the promised spar, so I soon changed into a suitable set of clothes (my brother's old tunic and pants) and met her down in on the arenas which was vacant. Tilda and Hana minded the little prince, while I met her out on the sand.

"Are there to be any rules?" I said. "I think I would object to losing an arm."

"You've only seen one battle…" Varis mused. "Let us make no deliberate attempt to draw blood."

"Fair enough." I nodded, getting into a ready stance. "First to disarm then?"

Varis nodded, getting into a similar stance. Someone gave the call to begin and we ran at one another, our blades meeting with a loud and aggressive clang. I quickly spun around, meeting her blade yet again, and again.

"Have I improved any?" I asked. "I've been sparring with Master Dwalin."

"You're not terrible." Varis said.

"Not terrible?" I retorted, though still lighthearted.

"I'm going easy on you." Varis shrugged, meeting my sword again.

"I thought this fight a little easy…" I smirked. "By all means Varis, test me."

That she did, swinging with much more force than she had before. My grip instantly tightened on my blade. Valiantly I swung at her. The metal clashed again, grinding against one another. With our blades crossed, we stared intensely at one another. "What do you think now?" I asked her.

"Not bad." She nodded.

"I suppose 'not bad' is a step above 'not terrible'?" I smirked.

"Yes, it is." Varis answered.

"Oh, why don't you simply say it? I am doing excellently."

"You grow awfully cocky…"

"Varis, whether you think so or not, I know you. If you had wanted to win, which I know you do, you would have snapped the blade out of my hands already…unless I was a good opponent."

Varis huffed, and shoved me backward a step. "A fight is no fun when it only lasts ten seconds…" She groused.

She then mercilessly tried to disarm me. "Look out Rue!" Tilda shouted from the safe sides of the arena.

Frerin, safe in her arms, likewise shouted "Amad!"

Varis continued to fight, one of us gaining the upper hand for a moment, before it was stolen by the other. Out of everyone I had the chance to spar against, she was one I much favored (only surpassed by Fili). I loved how relentless she was. I adored the challenge she offered.

Our friends cheered for us, as we spun around each other and raced across the arena, moving our blades fluidly. It was difficult, but I managed to keep her at bay from me, and nearly disarm her at times.

Of course, she was also very good and made quite a few near-successful attempts to disarm me as well.

I was countering her attacks when…

Varis kicked me in the leg. Not with enough force to break my limb, but definitely strong enough to trip me and send me directly into the sand. Thank goodness I did not land on my stomach…

Varis had her blade raised, ready to finish our match by bringing it to my heart or throat, when another sword was overhead, blocking her attack.

"Fili." I laughed. "This is between Varis and I."

"Excuse me, but I think I just spared you." He replied. "Hurry and get up now, your friend doesn't look very happy."

"Is this not supposed to be one person against another?" I asked.

"I can take you both on." Varis nodded, all confidence.

"Now it is even!" Ander raced out onto the sand.

"I said I could take them on alone." Varis reminded him.

"I fought in that great battle too." Ander defended. "You'll have no need to guard my back, Varis."

The fight intensified quite a lot after that. Varis was not exactly pleased with Ander for 'doubting her skills', which made her even more aggressive. I was thankful then to have Fili fighting with me. Ander was quite good as well I realised. He did not spar very often, so I was almost surprised by his skill. He was the sort of person that was simply too friendly to indulge in fighting. It was likely his outgoingness, his eagerness to befriend rather than duel, that made Varis so…unimpressed with him. What was that saying she had told me so many times from her tribe? That one should fight for something or he would die for nothing. Truly she was putting those words into reality, giving this fight her all, and even shoving Ander aside.

"Varis!" He was shocked when he too was flung into the sand. "I'm fighting _with _you."

"You got in the way." She replied, clashing swords with me, sending me off balance and then blocking Fili.

"Got in the…? I was going to fight Rue." He smirked. "You always had trouble sharing…"

We fought until we were out of breath. I didn't know if it was because I was pregnant again, but I felt as if my head was spinning. It was announced a draw (much to Varis's annoyance, for the Southern nymphs did not believe in draws). We were all in good spirits then, but I decided to simply have tea with Sigrid and Tauriel, rather than go running around Erebor, to better allow my dizziness to fade. Fili volunteered to mind Frerin for a while and I passed the boy over.

I did not suspect in any way what this would lead to.

/

Frerin was being awful quiet today Fili observed. Which was surprising, given how excited he looked. Usually when he wore such a face he was eager to leave the offices and spend the rest of the afternoon at play. Such an idea would have definitely been present in his mind, what with so much company arriving. But the boy sat still, stamping wax seals when needed.

"Frerin, do you wish to go and see Amad?" Fili asked. "She should be finishing soon with her visit, and Dagon will want to have someone to have fun with."

Frerin nodded, but made no verbal reply, his lips tightly pressed together.

Strange…Frerin didn't normally act so quiet.

Nevertheless, Fili organized the papers on his desk and then took his son by the hand and began to transport him down the halls to Rue. Perhaps he was sick…Frerin was usually pretty healthy, but the occasional cold did strike. He'd turn quiet then.

Frerin stopped before a great tapestry, the one of the line of Durin that Bard's family had gifted them when Dale had been successfully rebuilt. He then held up his arms to be picked up, but still said not a word. Fili did so, and watched as his son gently touched the different crests with everyone's names on them.

"That's your grandmother." Fili thought to explain what all the crests and lines meant. "Up there is your great-grandfather, Thrain, and above him, your great-great grandfather Thror. These lines…" Fili traced the one nearest him. "…they mean we're family. See? Your grandmother's goes down to me and your Uncle Kili…"

"Adad." Frerin finally spoke up, touching Fili's crest on the tapestry.

"Yes, that would be me." Fili nodded. "And then there's a line connecting me and Amad."

"Amad." Frerin touched Rue's little crest.

"Yes, and then there's this line connecting you to us…" Fili traced said line. "Because you are our son."

"Baby." Frerin said, and then his face broke out into a hardly contained grin.

"Yes, you're our baby." Fili nodded. "But you've grown quite a lot since we got this gift, you were just as tall as-"

"No Adad." Frerin shook his head. "Baby." The syllables were distinct on his little tongue.

"It's only natural that you grow, look at how big and strong you've gotten." Fili replied.

Frerin did not like to be misunderstood and now having burst out with the secret (he would apologize to Amad, but he was too excited, because Amad had clearly been excited) he was determined to make it known.

"No." Frerin said again. "More baby." Just in case his Adad did not comprehend that he also placed his hand next to his own crest, where he assumed another one would fit. "Amad said so."

Frerin then laughed, because his father's surprised face was awfully funny.

Fili paused for a moment and began counting back, just to make sure. But it all fit, and Frerin was an honest child. Still, he looked at Frerin seriously. "Amad told you this?" He asked. "Amad said she was going to have another baby?"

"Yes, Amad did." Frerin nodded, smiling. "It is secret."

"Secret, eh?" Fili smiled. "I think you weren't supposed to tell me then."

"No." Frerin replied, a little guiltily. "Sorry, Adad."

"Oh, it's alright." Fili was beaming ear to ear. "Let's say we go and tell her we know?"

"Yes!" Frerin was excited again. "Can I tell Uncle Kili?"

"Yes."

"Tauriel?"

"Yes."

"Thorin?"

Yes."

"Uncle Balin?"

"You can tell everyone with Amad and me."

/

I should have known…or at least suspected. Firstly, I should have known that Frerin would burst with the knowledge of my pregnancy. There was so many people around and excitement already, surely it was beyond someone not quite the human-age of two to contain himself with such a big and happy secret. Of course, I had laughed over it. Fili had been happy beyond measure, as was the whole mountain and our visitors. Secondly, I should have quickly realised the return of morning sickness would soon be upon me. However, I clearly forgot that detail, though nausea effectively reminded me.

Frerin felt badly for me, because I was getting sick. He seemed to think it was also the baby's fault and took a dislike to the child. I was worried, but Fili told me it would pass. He was right, when the illness faded so did Frerin's distaste of the soon-to-be new edition to our family. In fact, our son became rather excited when my stomach began to swell up, and even more so when the babe started kicking.

Thirdly, I should have suspected that traveling to Mirkwood less than a fortnight away from my due date would be problematic. The journey itself was tiring, and then…

I went into labor away from home.

My water had broken all over a new carpet we had just gifted the elves, I was surrounded by strange people, and in an unfamiliar bed. Thank Mahal for Tauriel, who had come along and was the one person there in the birthing room with me I did actually know.

Lastly, I had definitely forgotten how painful my labour with Frerin had been (all eleven hours of it). Otherwise, I would have never allowed this to happen to me again. If the memories had been still in my head then Fili could have stayed abstinent as a priest for all I would have cared. Unfortunately, during the delivery of the child, such memories were being quickly restored to me.

I endured only six hours of labour this time, and had been rewarded handsomely when an elf maid placed in my arms a freshly swaddled and crying son.

I was admiring his features, the brighter blond hair and the dazzling little blue eyes, when Fili entered at last, bringing Frerin with him. Kili had entertained the boy for us.

"Now, go and give your mother a kiss." Fili said to Frerin, and the boy took a few anxious steps toward me, eyeing the bundle. "Go on." Fili urged him.

Frerin walked over and climbed onto my bed and sat next to me, placing a sweet kiss on my cheek. He then stared at his new brother. Fili joined the two of us.

"Another proud son of Durin." I smiled, accepting Fili's kiss.

"A brother for you, Frerin." Fili said. "Watch out for him, I have a feeling he'll get into all kinds of trouble."

Frerin nodded, placing a very, very delicate kiss on the baby's forehead.

"What shall we call him?" I asked.

"Fien." Fili answered. "Of all the names, I think that is the one that fits him best."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "He could pass for a Flin I think…Fien would fit too but-"

"No, his name is Fien." Frerin announced.

And so it was.


	5. Chapter 5 (Kien)

**Impromptu traveling= impromptu update**.

Fien cried out for my attention. This time I knew that he really was hungry, not pretending to be so I would hold him. He was only ten months old, by human standards still an infant, and did not like to be kept waiting, especially when he was no longer tricking me with crocodile tears.

Speaking of tears, I was encountering some other ones, that were most definetly real. They were Tauriel's

After years of hoping, praying, wishing, trying desperately to have a family of their own…Kili and Tauriel were finally able to conceive a child again. To hear the news had brought both smiles and tears, and the months that followed had more than enough fears and anxieties for both Tauriel and the baby. There was cheer when the infant started kicking, and when this pregnancy surpassed Tauriel's devastating first one.

Now, a full and miraculous nine months later, Tauriel had gone into labour.

"Tauriel…?" I said, from her side. "It's Fien."

"Go to him." Her words were tired and tense. I nodded at her, and then to Dis who took up my post, and excited the chamber.

I was instantly swarmed by Kili. "How is she?"

"Tired." I responded. "But not without spirit."

I moved across the room to where Fili sat with Fien in his arms. Frerin had been playing at his feet the last time I had to come and fed Fien, but now he was lying in a large chair, curled up and asleep. "He's hungry again." I grabbed my tear-streaked son.

"His appetite rivals Bombur's." Fili said.

I smirked, exiting to a more private room to feed him. Fien quieted quickly after. I had realised how much I missed holding a baby when Fien was placed in my arms the first time. The company had been quick to warm me that he would a handful compared to Frerin.

They had been absolutely right.

Frerin had been quick to sooth. Fien took a bit longer. Frerin had been good tempered. Fien got moody. Frerin had been careful. Fien tried to grab everything, his favorites being my skirt, Frerin's toys and his father's mustache. Frerin stayed out of trouble…Fien went looking for it.

Of course, he wasn't all bad. His laugh was contagious and he certainly aimed to please with his smiles and gurgles. He was growing into a sweet, playful little scamp.

I had a feeling that he and the child Tauriel was delivering into the world, his cousin, would be very close.

Surely they would be partners in trouble…this was Kili's child, it was practically written in stone that he (or she) would be up to some antics and Fien would be eager to join in them.

Fien finished, but made protests when I moved. I needed to get back in the chamber with Tauriel though. She had been through so much already. Not just with being pregnant, but with this delivery. I thought the eleven hours it had taken to bring Frerin into the world was an eternity. Tauriel had more complications than I did though. Her labour had lasted eighteen hours…and it wasn't even over yet.

"A moment longer." I said. "I have others that need me this night too." I held him close, and rocked him furiously. Mercifully, Fien fell asleep in my arms, and I returned the heavy, dimpled boy to Fili. I tucked the blanket around Fien more, kissed Frerin goodnight, and hurried back to the chamber door. Kili stopped me again. Obviously the eighteen hours we had gone through so far had been as stressful to him as it was to Tauriel. "Do they know why it's taking so long?" Kili asked.

"Shhh…." I calmed him. "Be patient. It takes a while to give birth to begin with."

"Everyone keeps saying that!" Kili very nearly snapped at me. "For the love of Mahal…" He sighed. "Please, just tell me what's happening or I may break the door down."

I sighed too. "The baby…the midwives say it's not positioned right…they moved it by pressing on her stomach, but for some reason it's moved back. It may be born breeched in the end."

"Breeched?"

"Feet first."

Kili paled.

"Don't worry, plenty of babies are born that way." I said.

Tauriel cried out then, causing us both to shudder. "I need to return now." I replied. "Kili, you should go somewhere else, just for a little while. Go down to the kitchen…eat something."

"I'm not hungry." Kili shook his head.

"Liar…" I huffed. "When did you last eat…seven or eight hours ago?"

Kili did not reply so I knew I was correct.

"Fili." I said. "Next time Thorin comes around, take Kili down for a meal and make sure he actually eats it. Thorin can mind the boys."

I then returned to Tauriel at last. "I'm sorry if I took too much time." I said, surveying Dis, Tauriel and the two midwives (one dwarven, one elvish, borrowed from Mirkwood).

"It was fine." Dis assured me.

"How…" Tauriel breathed. "How is Kili?"

"Nervous for you, and wondering how you are doing as well." I answered.

Tauriel groaned and then curled into a ball. Dear Mahal, I had been hoping she would have succumbed to the elven midwife and accepted something for her pains. Tauriel blatantly refused each offering though. She did not want to do anything that would harm the baby. The midwife said it was most unlikely that it would.

But Tauriel would not take that chance…even if that meant suffering another eighteen hours.

Which I certainly hoped she would not.

I went back to work, rolling up my sleeves. "Shhh…breathe. Soon this will be over, and you won't remember any of it." I soothed.

/

His brother was a nervous wreck. For good reason of course. But the fact that Kili was so drained of sleep and had not eaten a single decent meal that day was not helping. Kili simply stared at the bowl of soup in front of him. Down here they could not hear Tauriel's cries, but Kili remained looking stressed.

He was shaking too, like a dry leaf.

"I don't know what I'll do if it happens again." Kili spoke, breaking the silence. "Mahal, it took years to get to this again, and we made it farther and there was so much hope, and if this one doesn't make i-"

"Everything will be fine." Fili interrupted him. "Oin was hopeful."

"You don't know what it's like." Kili said. "To bury a child. You've been very lucky, to have two healthy sons."

"You're right." Fili admitted. The thought of doing such for Fien or Frerin was unthinkable. "I hope I never know."

"It's like someone cuts out your heart with a knife." Kili went on, venting at last. "It mends when you sleep, but the second you wake up and that realisation hits you…it's like you've been stabbed and your heart pulled from your chest all over again, and you walk around with an open wound all day."

Fili simply put his hand comfortingly on his brother's shoulder. Kili needed someone to just sit there and listen to him.

"And the strangest thing is…life goes on, and you don't even realise how it could, because something so important is missing…how can a person live without a heart in their body?...days go by and months and years...and suddenly you realise it still hurts but it's not the same as it first was..." Kili gripped the side of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. "I want to be a father like you so badly, but at the same time I'm scared out of my mind, because I cannot go through that again…because if it does happen again I know what that will mean, it will mean that what I want will never happen!" Kili's fist slammed into the table. "It's just not fair!"

There was a long, heavy silence. What on earth did one say at a time like this? What _could_ one say?

"I could tell you everything will be fine until I'm blue in the face…but I don't suppose it would do you any good now, would it?"

Kili shook his head numbly.

Fili sighed. "The only thing I can say is that I am sorry. So sorry you had to go through that."

"I don't want your pity…" Kili shook his head again.

"It isn't pity, Kili. It is sympathy. I can't imagine your feelings, and my mind won't even let me, because the thought of it alone is too much. To have to live with that pain must have been the hardest thing you've ever done."

"Tauriel said, after the buriel, 'If this is what motherhood feels like, I do not want it'."

"She must have changed her mind."

"Aye, she had hope. More than I did."

"You must hold onto that hope." Fili urged him. "Hope is the one thing that can help to heal those wounds on your heart…and if the worst happens…" Kili flinched, but Fili continued. "You will have me, Thorin, mother. You will have Rue, and your nephews…and of course you will have Tauriel…"

Kili swore. "Fili…what if something happens to Tauriel, what if-"

"She's strong and nothing will. Don't make yourself panic anymore."

Kili took a few deep, steadying breaths. "Thanks." He added after a minute.

Fili smiled. "You're welcome. Now eat your soup, it's getting cold."

/

Blast it all, Fien had to wake up, and his loud wails had to startle Frerin from his slumber. I did not even excuse myself, or listen to hear if they were pretend cries, but ran to my sons, taking Frerin onto my lap and laying Fien right beside me. I gently rubbed Fien's stomach and Frerin's back. "Amad?"

"Yes, Frerin?" I asked.

"Is Aunt Tauriel alright?"

Oh sweet concerned Frerin…

"Yes darling, she will be fine. We are taking good care of her."

"I don't like how she's crying…"

"Neither do I." I kissed his head. "But this will all end sooner or later…"

Tauriel gave a suddenly desperate cry (her pains were becoming worse) and I stood, placing Frerin in my seat. "Keep rubbing Fien's belly." I said. "It helps him sleep. I'm going to go help Aunt Tauriel." Frerin nodded, taking up my action.

I burst back into the chamber, catching the sight of a small line of blood trailing down Tauriel's thigh. "Is she alright?!" I asked, scolding myself for not being able to hide much of my alarm.

"She's alright." Dis patted my shoulder. "The midwives just tried to turn the baby in the right direction again…rather uncomfortable process…hopefully the babe will stay put this time."

Tauriel's brow was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and I gently dabbed at her forehead, yet again. Her pains surfaced again and I held her hand in a vice like grip. "You shouldn't do this to yourself." I said. "Tauriel, the healer brought those vials of medicine for a reason, why not use them? You'll feel infinitely better."

"No." Tauriel answered, firmly. "I can't." Her face was bold, every bit like an elven warrior's…and then it grimaced with pain again.

That was it. I couldn't stand seeing her like this anymore. I poured a cup of water and secretly added powder to it. I turned to bring it to Tauriel, to force her to drink it, but I couldn't. She would hate me for doing so. What to do?

An idea surfaced. One that I was sure the midwives would not understand, or allow.

Very well…I would simply have to get rid of them for a few minutes. I turned to them and said "Is she doing alright for now?"

"About as well as can be expected." The dwarf answered.

"Good." I nodded. "You two have been up here for hours…you should go and get a quick meal in you. You as well, Dis. I'll be able to manage for a little while."

They hesitated, but I continued to insist. At last, they cleaned Tauriel up a bit from the previous procedure , and left for a brief meal. Dis gave me a questioning look, but I smiled and nodded at her, and she trusted me with whatever I had planned.

When they left, I tucked Tauriel into the sheets nicely. "I'll be gone only a moment." I promised.

I exited the chamber and was once again met with Kili. "Why have they left? Is she alright?"

"She's fine." I said. "Would you like to see her yourself?"

Kili looked surprised. Men were always shunned from matters like this.

"The midwives are gone for now…but only for a short while." I added. "Tauriel could use a distraction."

Kili nodded, and I opened the door for him, ushering him inside. Fili was sitting with the boys and giving me a look that said 'what do you think you are doing?' but I shrugged at him, and went back inside to keep an eye on Tauriel.

She noticed the guest I had brought with me right away.

"Kili?"

"Tauriel." He answered, coming to her bedside. I gave Kili a stool to sit on and then placed myself in the corner and began folding linens, leaving the two of them to themselves.

Kili's presence did work wonders on Tauriel. I don't know if she simply controlled her reactions to pain more strongly, to not worry him, or if she had stopped minding them so much. They spoke softly to one another, and Kili was holding her hand, or occasionally stroking her hair out of her face.

It was beautiful…until the midwives returned.

They certainly did not like that I had let Kili in. The poor dwarf had a moment to say a hurried goodbye to Tauriel and wish her luck before the two matrons cast him out like a rat. After that they spent the next while grumbling around me. Tauriel thanked me though, and Dis bore me no ill will either.

Then the moment finally arrived. The baby was (at last) ready to be born.

Poor Tauriel. I didn't think she had any energy left. She was exhausted and dehydrated as well probably. Somehow she summoned her strength though, and bit back screams as her pain turned excruciating.

I was right, the baby was born feet first. I was worried, even though I was not the one in labour. I held tight to Tauriel's hand, and did not let go. Her cries went on and on with every attempt to finally deliver her child.

And then we heard another cry. This time loud, and very strong, and clearly upset to be out of Tauriel's body.

"Oh!" I smiled so much my face hurt, and a tear stung the corner of my eye. "Tauriel." I was not able of saying much else.

"You have a son, milady." The elvish midwife announced, also very happy.

Tauriel smiled back, and held out her arms for the child. The midwife placed him there and Tauriel wept again. She kissed her son's head. He had dark hair, like Kili, and if I wasn't mistaken, there was a distinct point to his ears. The baby continued to sob, still unhappy about being out into the world and out of the womb.

"Just listen to him go on." I smirked. Right now it was the most beautiful sound, even though it would be so tiring for the elf in a few days.

"Aye, he'll give you quite the number of headaches." Dis agreed with me.

Tauriel couldn't stop beaming down at her son, and eventually, as we hurried to clean her up again, the boy calmed and quieted, and fell asleep in her hold.

"Now you can let the father in." The dwarven midwife told me. "Call up Oin while you're at it too."

I poked my head out. "Master Oin, you should check over the child now." I nodded.

The deaf old healer certainly heard me. "Well, with cries of that volume, the bairn's bound to have a good set of lungs." He smiled.

"Kili." I grinned. "Come. They won't force you out this time."

Kili saw the tiny black-haired head in the blankets and his smile was huge. "Boy or girl?" He asked.

"A boy." Tauriel smiled. "Our son."

Kili noticed the pointed ears and laughed. "I think I know who he got these from." He gently traced one.

"He looks like you." Tauriel said. "There isn't much of me in him…except the ears."

"He must have something from you, he's beautiful." Kili replied. "I was such a whelp when I was born…"

"Nonsense, you were a fine looking boy." Dis smacked Kili on his shoulder.

Kili leaned down and kissed the boy's head too. Oin then stepped in, taking the child for a few minutes to examine him. The boy did not like this at all, and cried to be returned to Tauriel the entire time. Finally Oin finished and handed him back to his mother. "Fine, fine! There's your mum, you little tyke!" He said.

"And?" Kili asked.

"This one will live." Oin beamed. "No doubt about that. He's a decent size, and a good weight." The babe wailed and Tauriel began soothing him. "His lungs are mighty powerful. You'll have nothing to worry about with him."

"Nothing to worry about." Kili repeated, smiling over Tauriel and the child.

"It's just…" Oin started again, regretfully.

"What?" Tauriel asked, clinging to the child.

I was wondering the same, as was Fili who had just entered beside me.

"I know you were probably hoping this would be the first of a whole passel of little ones…" Oin continued. "But Tauriel, milady…this was quite a long night, and rather…troublesome." He sighed. "It is safe to say that you will heal from this but not entirely."

"You are saying I will not be able to carry a child again?" Tauriel asked quietly.

Oin hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"We have this one." Tauriel said. "He shall be plenty."

"Agreed." Kili nodded. He suddenly looked over to Fili and I. "Would you mind if we named him Kien? Siblings often have similar names, but he will not have any…he'll probably be closest with Fien given their ages…"

"Name him whatever you like." Fili answered.

"He shall be known as Kien then." Tauriel said.

Frerin awoke in time to take a peek at his new cousin, and give his aunt a kiss on the cheek. I realised, when we headed home for some much needed sleep, that I was now an aunt.

/

They had taken Kien home and were currently staring at him, asleep in his cradle. It almost seemed unreal. "Surely I am dreaming…" Tauriel said, softly. "I do not want to fall asleep, I'm almost frightened he will not be here when we wake."

"It is no dream." Kili answered. "He will be here tomorrow, and the day after…he's staying."

Tauriel smiled again. "He'll be tall…taller than the other dwarves when he grows."

"He'll still be the shortest elf in Middle-Earth." Kili added.

"He'll be a fantastic archer in time."

"Gods have mercy, I hope he's better at learned archery than Fili and Rue were…"

Tauriel laughed.

Kili beamed.

And because it was no longer just the two of them…Kien slept on.


	6. Chapter 6 (Visits and feelings)

**Here you go, update time again.**

"Can we see Aunt Tauriel and Kien today, please?" Frerin asked.

"Frerin we just saw them two days ago." I answered, smiling at his eagerness. "Kien is just a baby, and he's a lot of work for Tauriel. She doesn't have much time for visitors."

"Oh." Frerin sighed.

"You can play with Fien." I smiled.

"He's nice, but he grabs my hair." Frerin said.

I laughed. "Be thankful you don't have a mustache then, like Adad."

Frerin smiled back. There was suddenly a cry from Fien. He had woken up. I was about to get up when Frerin raced from his chair and beat me to him. I stood in the bedroom doorway and saw Frerin saying "Shh…it's alright." into the crib. Fien whimpered back. Frerin turned to me. "I guess he wants you."

I grabbed Fien and held him against my shoulder. The result was instant quiet. "Can I hold him?" Frerin asked. When Fien first woke up was the best time to hold him, because he was still too sleepy to pull at your sleeves or skirt or hair. I nodded and Frerin sat very still on the sofa with Fien in his lap. I used this as a good time to put away the few pieces of paper I had been working on.

Erebor and the daily running of it was now more of a hobby to me than an actual duty. With Fien and Frerin to take care of (and still refusing to have an attendant mind them) I was too busy to help much with the kingdom. Only when Frerin was playing quietly and Fien sleeping could I manage a small job or two. I often wondered if Frerin actually missed the offices, as he had spent so much time playing in them or sitting on our laps. Sometimes he asked if he could go and visit Fili, and help still. Most days he was content to stay in our home, showing Fien this and that, entertaining him and having fun.

"Amad, can I put him down now?" I looked over to see Fien grabbing at the buttons on Frerin's tunic.

I put Fien on the floor and then held him as Frerin started building a mountain out of wooden blocks Bofur had made for the boy. Fien's eyes grew as Frerin's structure did. He wrestled in my hold, obviously wanting to push Frerin's project over. I continued to hold him back, ignoring his pout. Frerin finished, topping the (somewhat wobbly) tower off with the final block and then standing away. "He can make it fall over now." Frerin nodded.

I finally let go of my youngest and he crawled over to the tower, determined on destruction, despite his cherub like looks. He gave the structure one last look, and then swatted it with his hand. I pulled him back as the pieces showered down, tumbling and rolling on the floor. Fien cheered, and Frerin smiled, already assembling the pieces again to make something new for Fien to knock over.

Fien would grab a nearby block and hold onto it, sometimes gnawing at the sides like young children do. I held him back again, though this time he did not wriggle around so much. Frerin held out his hand for the block that Fien still held, and Fien handed over the piece nicely. "Very good." I whispered against his blond hair.

After a few more runs of this, Fien now understood that he would receive the honor of knocking down each and every tower that Frerin made and I was no longer required to hold him back from the construction process. He chose a corner of the rug to sit on, and would watch as Frerin built and then briefly admired his work. When Frerin stepped back he knew he was allowed to go forward and knock the thing down to restart the whole process.

I freed myself to clean up a bit, straightening out the covers on Frerin's bed and putting a stack of dishes back in its rightful place. Keeping the corner of my eye on the two of them I sat back down in our sitting room and picked up a book that Ori had lent me.

Eventually I needed to prepare a meal for Frerin and Fien. Frerin knew to sit nicely and eat. Fien on the other hand, I needed to sit and feed myself. He was still young, too often distracted and uncoordinated still to feed himself. That and any attempt he made to do so resulted in a mess. I remembered the first time I had left him alone a bowl of mashed up food and a little spoon…there had been the sound of said spoon hitting the floor and Frerin gasping "Amad!" and when I turned around Fien's face was covered in the meal.

The child had laughed when I flustered around him with a wet cloth. But I realised that the mess had been spread too much and the only effective way to cleanse him was a proper bath…and he had not liked that development. You would have thought the water was burning him like fire, he put up such a fuss.

"Eat your peas Fien." I insisted, sticking the spoonful into his mouth. What was it with dwarves and green food? Reluctantly, Fien swallowed the food.

"Can we go and see Aunt Tauriel and Kien, please?" Frerin said again.

"You asked that just a few hours ago." I reminded him. "You know my answer Frerin. Your aunt is probably tired and has her hands full." I plopped another spoonful into Fien's mouth. "We can go later, once we've been invited."

"Aunt Tauriel said we could visit…"

"She was being polite. The right thing to do would be to let her rest and take care of Kien."

"I promise I'll be nice and not bother her." Frerin added.

I sighed. "How about we say a quick hello, and then you we'll go to the library and see if Ori and Nori and Dori are there?"

Frerin considered this a worthy second option. When lunch was finished Frerin stood by the door, ready to leave already. He patiently waited for me to get Fien and myself ready. "A quick hello." I reminded Frerin. "Then we'll visit the library. Understand?"

"Yes Amad."

"Here, we should bring something." I held out a pie. "I don't think Tauriel has had much time to make anything special for a while now. Carry it carefully now, love."

Frerin took off down the halls and I followed, him carrying the pie and me Fien.

We arrived at our family's door, and I knocked. Tauriel opened the door and smiled. "Hello." I smiled. "Sorry to bother you, but we wanted to check up on you."

"We brought pie." Frerin smiled.

"I can see." Tauriel nodded. "Would you like a piece?"

"Yes!"

"Oh Tauriel, you don't have to spoil him."

"It's no trouble." Tauriel said. "A small piece won't hurt him."

I sighed, but let Frerin have the piece of pie, because he was sitting and being very good, as promised.

"How are you doing?" I asked, looking at the sash she bore over her shoulder and across her front. It was lovely, probably from Mirkwood, for it was quite elvish in design.

"Quite well." Tauriel answered. "Tired, but well."

"I know what you mean." I sighed. "This little man kept me up at all hours of the night." I jostled Fien on my hip. "With silly crocodile tears at times too, the imp."

Tauriel smirked. "Sometimes I think Kien does too."

"Where is he? Sleeping?" I asked.

"He's right here." Tauriel pointed to the sling.

"In that?" I asked, surprised.

Tauriel nodded. "It's an old practice of sorts. Eleven huntresses with young ones would carry their children in them. That way their hands would be free to fire arrows or wield blades."

I peeked inside the sling, and sure enough there was Kien, curled up, awake and blinking up at me. "Strange…" I muttered. "Quite clever too. He looks right happy in there."

"Kili says the same thing." Tauriel smiled.

No wonder Tauriel's home looked nicer than mine had after Frerin and then Fien arrived. She had her hands free still. Kien was probably enjoying being cuddled up to her heartbeat too.

"I was going to go out hunting myself actually." Tauriel said. "It's fairly warm for spring. The air will do him good."

"Hunting?! You actually have the time for that?"

"Yes." Tauriel nodded. "More or less."

"You don't have to take Kien with you. I could look after him for a few hours. Are you sure it's safe for him?"

"That's also what Kili said." Tauriel smirked. "Yes, have no worries. I shall be very careful."

Tauriel removed Kien from the sling and placed him on the floor next to Fien. Fien began to move quickly over to his cousin and then reached out for him. "Gentle, Fien." I reminded him. Fien glanced up at me, and then softly petted Kien's head of dark hair. Frerin finished his slice of pie and came over to say hello to Kien. I then said "We should heading out now."

"Thank you for coming." Tauriel said, picking Kien up and settling him back in the cloth, then picking up her bow and arrows.

"Can we go hunting with you too?" Frerin asked as we walked to the libraries. "The way Kien goes with Aunt Tauriel?"

"I think you're both too big to be carried in that fashion." I smiled. "Tauriel can take him with her now because he's still small, but soon she'll have to have someone mind him if she wishes to sneak out to the forests and valleys."

Frerin nodded understandingly. "When can I learn to hunt?" He was quite fascinated by the hunting parties that would leave out for a few days from Erebor.

"When you're older I'll teach you how to make snares." I said. "When you've mastered that, and gotten some skill with a blade, maybe you can go with your father and uncle."

The look on Frerin's face was wonderful, as though he hadn't expected that he would be allowed to go. Years from now of course…but he still looked pleased.

We entered the library and I could hear the voices of Ori, Nori and Dori. "Sounds like everyone is here." I smiled.

"No! Those belong with the rest of the books from the Second Age!" Ori fretted aloud.

"Will you decide where you want these already?!" Nori snapped.

"Be careful, they're old." Ori added. "Dain gave us these and we can't break them."

"He probably gave them away so he didn't have to deal with this nonsense." Dori grumbled.

"Aye." Nori grumbled in agreement. "I don't understand how you can live with all this, and not go completely mad."

"I find it rather nice work." Ori defended his practice.

"I'm sure he has his other pastimes…" Dori said. The boys and I wandered through the shelves, following their voices, trying to locate them. "Say…this wouldn't be one of them now, would it?" There was a brief sound of parchment ruffling.

"Put that back!" Ori suddenly said.

"Oh my…is this a letter to that nymphian lass from the North?" Dori chuckled.

"That's private!"

"Give it here, Dori!" Nori shouted.

"Oi!" Ori tried again, although it sounded quite futile. There was the sounds of a struggle occurring.

"Dear Hana…" Nori's voice carried over the sounds of a fight. "The library is not so inviting as when you are here." A snicker followed. "How sweet…" Nori teased.

"Nori!" Ori's voice fought.

Dori began to read aloud now from the letter. "Since I last wrote you, Kien made his first visit to the library. He couldn't sleep and Tauriel and Kili were down here with him, since it is so nice and quiet, until he did manage to dose off. As for my own work…boring…boring…"

"Dori!"

"Well, it isn't exactly thrilling to read." Dori must have smirked.

The parchment ruffled yet again. Nori must have caught it once more. "We just received a number of books from the Iron Hills. Don't become too excited. None of them are in a language I don't know. Your translating won't be needed this time. I was hoping at least one would require a visit from you, it's been too long since you last came…oh Ori, you're pulling on my heartstrings!"

I was near laughing over the situation now too, despite how they were teasing him.

One more exchange was made to Dori, who resumed the reading as Ori protested on. "…at this rate I think it would be faster for me to simply invent a foreign language." Nori and Dori burst out in laughter.

At last I found them and came to poor Ori's rescue. "Stop teasing him!" I berated the two dwarfs. "Hana looks forward to those letters."

"Sorry." Dori mumbled. "But anything's more fun than organizing books."

"I think I brought someone who wants to race around this library with you." I nodded down at Frerin.

Nori gave a devil of a smirk and began counting backwards "Ten…nine…eight…" Frerin shot off to hide in the many stacks. Nori finished the countdown and then he and Dori gave me a smile and a nod and went off to hunt him down.

I turned to Ori, still supporting Fien on my hip, helping him rearrange the disorganized volumes. "Hana will come if you invite her, you know." I said. "Even if there isn't something you need help with in the libraries."

"It seems silly to call her away from her home when there's no important reason."

"She visits for a month in the summer for no particular reason."

"You invite her and the others."

"Still…"

"Well, it's the summer." Ori shrugged. "Time and responsibilities are a bit more lax."

I smiled warmly. "I think Hana would come." I concluded. "She loves it here."

"Does she?" Ori asked, trying to be conversational, but there was something happy and even a little relieved in his voice.

"Yes." I nodded. "Why on earth wouldn't she?"

"Oh…I suppose Erebor could get a little dull for her. It's very different from the North colonies."

"Not at all." I replied. "Ander says Erebor has her…enraptured, I believe he called it." Really he had said the libraries, but Hana had become so flustered at that remark I thought it unfit for me to mention.

Ori said nothing in response, placing books back on shelves, but he couldn't hide a small secret smile.

I smirked to myself too. Ori and Hana made a good pair, that much was easy to see. Whether this friendship they had formed would grow into something else was still a mystery to us. I was quite sure he felt something more toward her…maybe not love just yet, but something that was stronger than just a friendship. She could feel the same way too, given how flustered Ander's teasing had made her.

Their relationship (whatever it truly was) was nice to see. Yet it also made me worried…Ander was making more and more visits to the Southern tribes, Hana often fulfilling his work during that time. Though it was hard to think of sweet, soft-spoken Hana as a leader, she was in line to be one, after her grandmother , father, and whoever else had the right to lead before she did. She was…in a way…bound to the North. And while everything was fine right now, she was at an age when marriage was becoming a topic talked of seriously. Hana was pretty, with her bright blue eyes and softly curled brown hair. Surely that and her gentle nature had captured someone's attention in her home. Mistral would soon have to see about finding someone suitable for her. And although Hana would have to agree to any marriage…she was obedient and knew her duties.

I was quite certain any husband would not exactly appreciate such friendly letters from a scribe in a dwarf kingdom.

"Rue, are you alright?" Ori asked me. My face must have shown some of my internal concern.

I struggled with myself for a second, wanting to clear up the thought that, admittedly, had been in my head for a few months now, yet also telling myself that I must not meddle.

I sighed internally, then finally asked "Ori, I know it isn't my place, but…have you any intentions toward Hana?"

Ori nearly dropped the book he was holding. "Intentions on Hana?" He asked, surprised.

"I know you two have become very good friends, and that you've worked so well together on a few projects here, but I couldn't help but wonder if you wanted more from her."

"Rue!" Ori said, taken aback. "Don't make it sound like that!"

"Oh, you know I didn't mean anything like that." I responded. "What I did mean, I suppose, is…is there a chance you may love her?"

Ori stuttered for something to say. "Why do you ask?" He replied.

I suddenly turned serious. "You and Hana have been enjoying one another's company and exchanging letters for years now, and you've never made any indication of serious feelings for her. If that is what you feel, I think I should remind you Ori, that Hana is part of the ruling family in her colony, and therefore her marriage may become a device used for political stability or gain. If you feel something for her, you have to act upon it. Or else she may come visiting one day with news of an engagement, and you'll miss your chance." I then glared at him. "And if you've been leading her on this whole time, making her fawn over you when you have no-"

"She fawns over me?" Ori asked, surprised again.

I suddenly realised what I had said. "Oh! Well, I can't speak for Hana, but she does sort of light up when she sees you." I defended.

The scribe before me turned a light shade of pink. "I didn't know that." He said. He sighed. "She is rather beautiful. I wouldn't be surprised if others…nymphs in her colony…were considering her."

"What about you though?" I asked.

"Me?" Ori smirked. "I have no remarkable talent like Northern nymphs do."

"What does race matter?" I said, smiling at the wonderful scribe. "Look at me and Fili. Look at Kili and Tauriel! A dwarf and an elf happy and in love and with a family."

"Yes, but they're warriors and princes."

"As if we cared about things like that!" I snapped back.

"Oh, you and Tauriel don't, but Hana or at least her family might. Like you said, she's a member of the ruling family, they have a reputation to uphold. Marrying Hana off to a scribe in a dwarf kingdom, when there is probably half a dozen captains in her colony with their eye on her…well I think you know which one would be preferred."

"Found him!" Nori and Dori appeared again, with Frerin beside them.

"Amad can we read this one?" Frerin held out a small book that contained a story for children. I smirked at the dragon on the cover.

"Of course." I nodded. "We'll read it tonight when Adad comes home."

I then turned to Ori and added "Just remember…you were the quest too." I then said the rest of my goodbyes and then we were off.

Walking down the halls I sighed. "Oh Ori…you are in love with her, aren't you?"


	7. Chapter 7 (All kinds of trouble)

**Update time again. ****This is for 'the BugSlayer' thanks to you I couldn't get Ori or Hana out of my head when I was writing so this happened. Thank you :)**

"Amad!" Frerin called me. His voice had a noticeable whine to it, the one where the first syllable is higher pitched and the second draws out longer than needed.

"Yes?" I called back.

"Fien isn't sharing!"

"He's still young Frerin, he doesn't understand. Play with something else and he'll get bored and leave it alone."

"I can't, he hid everything!"

Oh. Well that changed things. I got up from my chair at the kitchen table, putting aside my work, and went looking for the culprit in question. "Fien…" I said, in a voice that told him I knew what he had been up to. The golden-haired trickster looked at me with a bright smile. "Where did all of your playthings go?" I asked.

Fien giggled to himself. A sure sign he had taken them and placed them somewhere in our home, out of sight.

"Fien…they are not in their box." I nodded at the empty chest where we stored the boy's things. "Do you know where they are?" The tot had the nerve to smile and shrug, his hands held up as though he hadn't the faintest idea. For a second I thought he might say the word 'no' and became a little excited because that would have been his first word. He did not, unfortunately, his communication remained one of laughs and smiles still.

"Are you sure?" I gave him a chance to redeem himself. Fien shook his head. "I think you hid them all." I answered for him. "Is that true?" Fien laughed again. It was true.

"Well, are you going to point out where they are hidden?" Fien pointed nowhere, still looking as smug as a child his age could. "Fine." I said. "If you're not going to be helpful then you can sit in the basket while Frerin and I hunt them down."

Fien's small face grimaced and then looked mighty sad as I placed him in a basket I often used for laundry. It was the strangest thing. When placed in one he would never get out and so he was placed in a basket when you wanted him to calm down from a tantrum or think about what he had done. Even though Fien did have the ability to roll himself out if he so pleased, he didn't seem to notice this. For one odd reason or another, he thought he was confined to the basket like it was a cage.

Indeed he did start to cry when I left him there, softly. No child likes to be caught out and punished. I hated it when he cried like that. The wails and emotional outbursts I could take. His piteous whimpers stabbed at my heart, making me want to do nothing but pick him up and hug him for a long moment.

I shook my head and commenced searching for everything with Frerin. The good thing was Fien was not yet very tall, and even though he was able to pull himself to a standing position and take a few steps around a chair for a while, he still had to use the underneath of most of our furniture for hiding places. I started pulling blocks out from under the sitting room chairs. Depositing them back to where they belonged I nearly tripped over a lump in the rug. Turning this over revealed Frerin's little sword.

"All of the Eagles are in the bathtub!" Frerin exclaimed, coming out of the room carrying the bird figurines.

Searching through cushions I found a few other trinkets, a rather nice figure of a dragon, and a small stuffed wolf.

"I found Fien's fox." Frerin held up a small stuffed fox from the seat over. Evidently Fien had hid all of his things too. "Can I bring it to him in the basket?"

"If you wish too." I told him.

Frerin brought the stuffed animal over to his little brother. "It's alright Fien." He said. "Look, I found your fox."

Fien was currently in no mood to be pitied. He scowled at Frerin from the confines of his basket and grabbed his fox back, hugging it to his chest. "It's alright to smile." Frerin nodded, patting Fien's blond head. Fien gave out a very vocal cry of protest to this comforting gesture and slapped Frerin's hand away.

"Fien!" I snapped. "We do not hit!"

Fien began to sniffle and cry again, because he realised he had gotten himself into more trouble now, which meant being left in the basket longer. "Leave him alone for now Frerin. He's being moody." I said. "Let him calm himself down."

We found the remaining bits and pieces that belonged in the toy chest under the beds and dressers, and then I heard the door opening and Fili returning home a little early.

"Adad!" Frerin ran to him, and I could hear them embracing in the hall.

"Hello Frerin." Fili greeted, purposefully ruffling his hair in a way that would make Frerin's old cowlick stand up again. He then chuckled a little, noticing where Fien was. "In trouble again?" He asked the small boy in the basket. Fien nodded up at him.

"He hid all of our things." Frerin explained. "Then he tried to hit me. Amad didn't like that."

"Naturally." I added, coming out of the hall finally and joining the others. "He's up to tricks again."

Fili nodded, eyeing over Fien curiously. "Do you ever worry he might be a little dull in the head? I mean, it's only a basket, but he can't seem to reason he can get out of it…"

"With half the incidents he causes I can assure you Fien is a smart child." I said, thinking of all the ways he found to climb onto our furniture by pushing cushions and stools and chairs. "I think the fact that he's being punished is what makes it so inescapable for him."

At that moment Fien sniffed and held out his arms, eager to be removed. "Leave him for another moment, we can't have him thinking you coming home rescues him immediately." I said.

Fien saw that no rescuer was coming to his aid, looked me in the eye with his own teary blue ones, and said through a small sob "Amad."

Fili laughed at me for how quickly I picked him out of the basket.

"Shhh…." I hushed the boy. "Stop laughing!" I smacked Fili in the shoulder.

"He certainly got you that time." Fili snickered on, Frerin joining him. "He must be brilliant, even if he can't find his way out of a basket."

I couldn't help it. Maybe if it hadn't been his very first word….Fien probably knew my weakness now and thought himself a rather smart child. I sighed. Just this once I'd be lax with his little punishment. I did make him give Frerin a good hug though, because he still could not say the words 'I'm sorry" and so this was his form of apology for the time being.

I was hoping word of that story would not get out, but company came by that evening. Of course, it took Fili and Frerin all of two minutes to bring the tale up. Kili laughed at me, but Tauriel had an understanding look on her face. Dis chuckled over it good naturedly, but she had the same knowing smile.

Thorin had one of the first evenings for him to spare all that month, and I thought he was beginning to question how he had chosen to spend it. Yes, being surrounded by his family was probably more amusing than being alone…but with three extended nephews preying on him, it was not as peaceful as I'm sure Thorin would have enjoyed. Frerin was back on his knee, recounting tales of how he had helped Fili in the workrooms below. Fien was trying to climb up his leg and onto his lap, and join the fun. Kien was trying to do what Fien was doing, but being still so young he was too bottom heavy to stand very long yet. So he was pretty much clawing at Thorin's foot.

At last I dove in to rescue the king under the mountain, snatching Fien and Kien away and placing a few things on the floor for them to entertain themselves with. Thorin appeared quite grateful. "You have an awful lot of children…" He sighed.

"We may have more yet." I smirked back. "Don't tempt fate."

The conversations moved to our kitchen table. I was having two or three chats between Dis, Kili, and Frerin. Fien could be trusted with feeding himself, to a degree. Ever so often he would purposefully wave his spoon over the floor, but Fili would always be watching him and then give him a look, like a soft glare, and Fien would pop it into his mouth where it belonged. With amusement, I noticed Kien was beginning to copy his cousin across the table.

"Ori was acting strangely a few days ago…he left his work. I spent an hour searching through the library for him before a page told me he had gone." Dis's voice suddenly came to me.

"Odd, he rarely leaves the library when he's busy." Thorin replied.

"I thought he might be ill." Dis added. "But he was back in the bookshelves the very next day. He seemed healthy enough."

Ori…I remembered the conversation I had with him over Hana and his feelings for the nymph of the North. Suddenly I too was wandering what he might have been up to. It was unusual for him to leave the library without warning. Something must have happened.

I did not have to wander about him for long.

There was a knock on the door, and I rose quietly to go and answer, expecting a page for Thorin with some minor emergency or other. Instead I found the scribe himself had knocked upon the door.

"Ori!" I said. "This is a surprise."

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." Ori spotted the dinner finishing up behind us.

"No. No, it's fine." I said. "What are you-?"

"I did it." Ori said, all his words suddenly coming out in rush. "I thought about what you said. You know, about Hana and my intentions and the future and all that. So I wrote her finally. I told her everything. Maybe I should have waited for her to come visiting again. Things like that are better said face to face rather than on parchment. But I didn't want to delay it so writing it all down had to suffice."

"You wrote Hana?" I managed to say. By now our conversation at the door had gained everyone's attention.

"Hana? Is that the nymph with the curly hair?" Kili asked.

"Yes, the one who always comes visiting with her brother." Fili answered him, making sure to cast a glance over to Fien and Kien who were both wavering spoons over the floor again.

"Like you told me to." Ori answered.

"You told him to?" Fili asked.

"You're up to meddling again?" Kili asked.

"No, I didn't tell him to write her." I answered. "I said that he should simply sort out his feelings for her."

"You have feelings for that lady?" Dis asked. I then noticed how uncomfortable this situation must have been for Ori, as suddenly that secret was known by many more people. Ori however, didn't appear to be bothered by it at the moment.

"Yes, I believe I do." He nodded. "I wrote her and then I spent the next few days waiting for a reply."

'You asked her to court you?" I was beaming. "Ori that's fantastic news, that's-"

"I actually asked her if she would marry me." Ori corrected, somewhat sheepishly.

This stunned us all into silence.

Silence that was broken when Fien turned over his entire plate.

Echoed by Kien who did the exact same thing and the two of them cheering.

"You asked her _what_?" I stuttered for more words.

"I know…it was awfully forward of me. But I was just thinking we made fast friends years ago and for the last decade we've gotten to know each other rather well and enjoyed each other's company. All that being together and working together and exchanging letters over the period of decade seemed to just logically add up to a fair time of courtship in my mind at the time so…I asked her."

"Oh. Oh. Oh my." I stuttered again. "Ori when I suggested that you think about your feelings for her this was not what I had in mind…at least so soon. Hana's family would sort of expect that there would be an official courtship before any engagement."

"That's part of the reason I came over here." He said nervously. "I finally received a reply."

"From Hana?" I asked, growing excited, as Tauriel and I began to clean up our children.

"No. It's from Mistral."

Mistral; Hana's grandmother and current leader of the Northern colonies. Oh dear…

Naturally the moment things became political Thorin became angry. I handed a messy Fien over to Tauriel as Thorin invited (that was the nice way of saying it) me to sit. I watched from my chair as Fien and Kien were deposited into the bath to be cleaned again.

I swore they were the cleanest children under the mountain because every incident they had resulted in a mess.

Frankly, I would have rather been wrestling with the two slippery children and receiving their sweet little wet kisses like Tauriel was, than here, back under Thorin's gaze like old times.

"So…" Thorin's voice was casual. The sort of causal that borders on sarcastic. "Once again I find that you were unable to keep out a matter. This time…one that may cause dispute between us and another kingdom."

"They are a rather peaceful tribe." I tried to reason.

"Of course." Thorin nodded. "But I'm sure they will not be impressed with our scribe's boldness."

"It was Ori that wrote her, not me." I reminded Thorin, defensively.

"It was…though I'm sure you were the one who planted the notion in his head in the first place." Thorin replied. "The scribe we know would not have considered this alone."

Indeed, of all people to do something like this Ori would have been at the bottom of my list. I'd always thought him a bit too shy and bookish to do something as this.

"If Hana were any woman of normal status I would not have cared so much. But the granddaughter of their leader? What image do these actions give the dwarves of Erebor?"

There was a pause.

Fili spoke up. "I think that question was actually directed at you." He said to me. "Not merely rhetorical."

Thorin's thinning patience snapped. "Do you not see how serious this could be?" He asked. "For Ori to be so presumptuous to ask outright for her hand is an insult to traditions. We have disrespected them."

"Oh." Ori and I nodded, mutely.

"Oh?! Is that all you two can say?!"

"Well I never meant to disrespect anyone…truth be told I was expecting that Hana would reply, not her family." Ori spoke up.

"Speaking of the reply…" Dis interrupted, carrying a much cleaner Fien and Kien out of the washing room. "Has anyone read it?"

We all stared down at the letter in question, which remained in its sealed envelope.

"No." Thorin answered, plainly.

"Well, did it ever cross your mind you might want to see if this turned out alright before you started lecturing them?" Dis frowned.

Apparently it hadn't crossed Thorin's mind. He turned to Ori and said "Read it. See what the reply is."

Ori gulped, picking up the envelope and carefully removing the nicely folded parchment. He then stared at it for a long moment.

"Well?" Thorin asked. "Have you forgotten how to read?"

"Thorin!" I replied smartly.

"What now?" He asked.

"You just asked him if he forgot how to read, and he's one of your finest scribes! Don't belittle him like that."

"Rue, now would not be the time to critique me." Thorin said warningly. "Especially after what your influence has done."

"How about we let Ori read the letter? Yes?" Fili said amicably, sensing that our tempers were beginning to creep out of their hiding places.

"Brilliant idea!" Kili smiled, placing Kien on his knee, and gently bouncing the boy. He seemed equally as eager to avoid any argument between Thorin and I.

Ori then opened the parchment and read it aloud. "To Master Ori, of the domain of Erebor…" He began. "It has recently come to my knowledge the extent of the attention you give towards my granddaughter, Hana."

"Oh dear…" I muttered to myself softly, in apprehension.

"While I had accepted that your relationship had exceeded the acquaintance it originally was, I was not aware of quickly it would progress. The fact that in the time beforehand you had shown no interest in such progress made the news even more alarming. Though I was raised under different circumstances from that of dwarven tradition, I understand that in normal circumstances there is a period in which two people are to be promised to one another and seek out if such feeling is truly shared, well-meant and intentions aligned. Such is the same in our home."

Thorin sighed, heavily. "Mahal." He groaned.

"I was expecting that Hana would have this. What with her title, though it is not so grand as that of a princess or other nobilities, she and I and the rest of our family wanted to be sure any affections bestowed on her were not doubted. With this in mind, I think you can imagine my suspicion when such an unexpected letter was delivered to Hana."

Thorin was now glaring at me from across my table. Fili was also giving me a look that said, quite simply 'what were you thinking?'.

"The attentions which you now show Hana, would be considered unwelcome by us."

"Oh no." I muttered once again to myself. Thorin's glare in that moment was so like what it had been during the quest to reclaim Erebor I almost felt as though I should be looking over my shoulder for trolls or giant spiders.

"Your unpredictable actions have become questionable to us. Your interest in Hana to this degree is simply too sudden to be accepted without consideration. For my own part, I would ignore your confessions for the time being, to think of their sincerity on later days when more ample evidence of their existence is shown to me. However, despite others regards to these recent events they have made Hana immensely happy, and therefore cannot be ignored."

We were silent again, listening intently.

"I shall send Hana to Erebor as soon as she is prepared to depart. You may expect her there within a fortnight. The only advice I can send you is that you take the time and effort now to ponder your future and that of Hana's. Consider all things wisely, which as you are a notable scribe I am sure is within your means. Happiness to you both."

There was another silence in which were all sort of confused and relieved at the same time.

"Was that…was that a yes?" Ori asked.

"I do believe it was." I said, suddenly smiling. "Or at least it definitely was on Hana's part."

Ori was grinning too now. "Thank goodness." He sighed.

"See? Nothing to worry about." Kili smirked at Thorin.

Thorin rose, eyeing Ori and me. "This time we were spared from any misunderstandings. I hope that in the future we shall have no more close calls such as this."

"Well, I would say some celebration is in order." Kili got up and started looking for ale.

"Indeed." Tauriel took Kien from him. "It seems like there will soon be more than one nymph under this mountain."

"Aye." Kili nodded. "Some people may start thinking Erebor is importing foreign women to have as our wives…given the scarcity of our own women."

Thorin did not take kindly to a rumor like that either, but was soon settled with some ale and our patience, and admittedly a small bout of apologies from my part.

The night ended happily with Ori running off early to tell Nori and Dori of the news, and Fien, Kien and Frerin falling asleep in a content heap in front of the fireplace.

"Kien and Fien are much alike." Tauriel noted how the two young boys were snuggled up together at Frerin's feet.

"Yes." I agreed. "Both are up to no good…just like their fathers."

"Hey!" Kili argued.

"Fien can't keep himself out of anything…just like his mother." Fili added. "Truly it's an inherited trait."

Now was my turn to glare, even if tonight it may have been true.

**I'm thinking the next chapter will be from Kili/Tauriel's pov since you seem to be dying to get more of them and it's difficult to capture the daily life of them from someone else's pov. Yes?**


	8. Chapter 8 (The dwelfling)

**Enjoy. **

Kien dashed away, quickly escaping into his parents' bedroom. Tauriel sighed a little to herself. It had been a wonderful day when Kien was first able to take steady, unsupported steps and migrated the distance between her and Kili. Shortly after that day he had mastered the art of walking…and then running…and before long he had learned how to hide.

Hiding had become one of his favorite pastimes.

"Kien?" She called. There was no reply. He was definitely hiding. Tauriel entered the bedroom, which appeared empty at first glance, and began to scan the room for her child. As she stepped past the bed her ears picked up the sound of a soft laughter. Kien had to be hiding under there. What made that problematic though was that she was too big to fit herself under and grab him.

Tauriel continued to walk around the room, pretending to search for Kien as though she did not know where he was still, and avoiding the underside of the bed. "Odd, I thought he would be in here." She said, loudly enough for Kien to hear her. She then made for the door, closing it as she climbed upon a nearby table so Kien would not see her feet.

She stepped across the table and made her way (over the furniture, foolishly enough) to the bed. She was so light she did not make a sound thankfully, so Kien would not suspect her presence. There she perched herself, and waited for Kien to crawl out from under the bedframe.

After a moment, his little dark head popped out, scanning the room, and finding no sight of his mother's feet. He then began to crawl out, sliding against the floor. Tauriel poised herself and prepared to seize him.

Sneaking up on him was the best way to catch him again. When she could not find him, which did happen sometimes, she would sit herself in her usual chair and pretend to weep softly saying that she had lost Kien and she thought her would never come back. The sound of her sadness, even though it was false at that moment, would always lure Kien out of his corners and into her lap, where his arms would be very quickly around her neck and he would kiss her cheek repeatedly, as if to dry the tears.

It was hard to be angry or annoyed with a child for hiding when you received such loving treatment.

Kien looked over his shoulder and saw her. He squealed , scrambled to his feet and started to run away . Tauriel leapt, tucking toward the floor and rolling as she had on the ground while hunting spiders years ago. She blocked Kien's path and tried to snatch him up in her arms. He ducked and bolted across the room away from her. Tauriel sprinted after him, surprised when he ducked back under the bed, only to shoot out the other side like an arrow, making it successfully to the door.

Not that it mattered, Kien would not be able to open the door in ti-

"What's all the noise for?" Kili opened the door, appearing confused.

"Kili, stop!" Tauriel shouted.

It was no use. Kili did not notice their son in time, as he opened the door wider. Kien slipped out of the doorway, dashing down the hall.

"Kien!" Kili exclaimed, following his son down the hall.

Normally, the hide and chase would be fine, and they'd play with Kien until he tired. But today they could not be late, because entering Ori and Hana's wedding ceremony ten minutes after it had started would not be the best way to bring them fond wishes. Tauriel had wanted to go and help Hana dress. Sigrid and Tilda were back for another visit, Rue had managed to slip away and help Hana prepare. It would be so meaningful if she could go to Hana now. The nymph had been there for the first wedding under the mountain they had held, and her own.

Of course, Kien was her first priority this morning. She had dressed him well for the occasion and was hoping now he would not fall asleep halfway through the festivities as he was burning off his energy. It was out of her hands at the moment…but she did hope.

She noticed a familiar spark in Kien's eye. He would soon try to make for the hall, to charge into one of the other rooms again. Quickly she sprinted into his path, her arms open, and closed them tightly around the boy. Kien crashed into her with so much force it nearly knocked her over, and as she tried to regain her balance Kili came following behind, bumping into the both of them.

Kien was laughing, clearly amused with his parents. Kili and Tauriel both kissed his face, which was being squished up between their lips.

Kili picked the boy up, and said, a little more seriously "Kien, can you promise to be good?"

"Yes Adad." Kien nodded.

"Can you try to sit still and be quiet?" Kili pressed.

Kien considered this. It was difficult for him (well, for any child his age) to sit still for extended periods of time. Not to mention his beloved cousin Fien would be there and they'd probably want to rushing about and playing together, rather than sitting through a ceremony. Nevertheless, Kien smiled, nodded and said "Yes Adad, I will."

"Are you sure darling?" Tauriel asked him herself.

"No Naneth." Kien admitted, honestly.

Tauriel smirked. "Don't worry, after the ceremony is finished you can play with your cousins."

"Yay!" Kien cheered.

"Would you like to come with me, Kien?" Tauriel asked. "We still have a little time to see Hana and help her prepare."

Kien nodded, taking his mother's hand and the two of them gently walked down the hall. Tauriel could notice already that he was a little taller than the other children in Erebor. He was a year younger than Fien, but still as tall as him. True, in human years the age difference was quite minimal, but in this age of their childhood they were growing like saplings in the sun, and the extra year Fien had over Kien would have normally resulted in him being taller.

Kien was also more…graceful and light than the other children. Kili was too, in terms of dwarf standards, but you could definitely see the elf in Kien in the way in moved. There was a Silvan quality to his stride, and he rarely had tripped when learning to walk. Only intense rushes resulted in clumsiness and falls.

She sometimes worried over him, about how well he would fit in with other children. He got along beautifully with his cousins, but she worried over how his relationships with friends would progress. Frerin and Fien were only half dwarf too, but they still looked similar, just a bit more lithe. Kien you could notice right away his other heritage. His ears were pointed, compared to the others, and his cheekbones finer, and his fingers slimmer, more nimble, made for archery.

She hoped it would win over the other children though, when he began lessons and training. Kili said they should not worry. Kien was outgoing, and he had a dwarven personality.

They arrived at Hana's room, and knocked on the door. Hana herself opened it, in white gown and all. Rue was following her, almost on her knees, trying to do last minute alterations. "Lovely, you made it in time." She smiled.

"Hello." Rue waved her hand at them, her voice muffled by pins.

Kien's eyes were wide. "You look pretty." He said, as though in awe.

Hana smiled sweetly. "Thank you." She said. "Though all brides look lovely on their wedding day."

Kien shook his head. "You look the most pretty."

Hana beamed at him. "Tauriel, he is the sweetest thing." She complimented.

Kien smirked and blushed. "Can I kiss you?" He asked.

Everyone inside the room laughed.

A charmer…so much like his father.

Hana knelt down and Kien kissed her cheek lightly.

"You sound like you're trying to steal away the bride." Ander appeared. "We can't have that now. We've waited far too long for this."

"Ander is getting impatient." Hana explained.

"It only took a decade to get to this point." Ander sighed. "Not to mention I've been plagued with nightmares of you leaving that poor man at the alter…or suddenly one of you being too shy to say 'I do'. "

"Ander!" The nymph was slapped in various places, by Hana, Rue, and Bard's children.

"As if I would do that to him!" Hana snapped.

"Don't you dare jinx anything." Sigrid said, puffed out like a mother hen and straightening out the shirts of all the children.

"Come in Tauriel." Tilda said. The girl that had once been so little was now a fully fledged young woman, and quite a beauty. Tauriel had no doubt Bard would soon have his hand's full with Tilda's beaus.

Kien and Fien were naturally beside one another in a moment. Tauriel proceeded to pick up a needle and thread and help finish off the wedding dress. She had arrived not a moment too soon. If Ander was here, then everything would be commencing shortly.

"I am keeping an eye on you." Ander ruffled Kien's hair. "This one will break hearts and win them over again when he's older. You wait and see."

"He will, Tauriel." Rue said, a little more clearly for the pins were no longer between her teeth. "He'll be everything a lady wants…tall, dark and handsome."

"We shall see when that day comes." Tauriel said modestly of Kien. Secretly though, she was relieved they thought he would be so sought after. It eased her mind on the thoughts she had been having earlier in the halls.

"What about me?" Fien asked.

"You won't have any trouble either I imagine." Rue assured Fien.

"Why do you sound so concerned, Fien?" Tilda teased the boy. "Do you want to get married next?" More laughter filled the room and Fien tried to shrink back and hide himself in his embarrassment.

"No!" He shouted.

"Are you sure?" Tilda pressed. "I know plenty of pretty little girls…" She went on.

Fien made a face and stuck out his tongue. "No I don't!" He repeated firmly.

"Not even Kara?" Sigrid pointed out her own young daughter. Kara smiled a little and dashed behind her mother's skirt.

"Please no…" Fien begged, trying to hide again behind Kien as the laughter followed.

"We're only teasing you, love." Rue comforted him. "You don't have to get married for a long, long time."

Tauriel smirked as Fien breathed out a sigh of relief. Soon after that another man with curly hair arrived at the door. Tauriel assumed that was Hana's father. Kien was collected away from the other children and they made their way to one of the smaller halls that was used for celebrations like this.

Kien spotted his father right away and raced down the aisle and into the seat beside him. Much of the company from that quest to reclaim Erebor was present already and Kien was talking with them, arms resting against the back of his chair, facing away from the alter, where an anxious, but happy, Ori stood.

The doors of the hall opened and Tauriel noticed Hana and her father standing at the entrance. She gently tapped Kien on the back of his shoulder and the boy turned himself forward and sat down. Kien behaved beautifully (so much that it surprised both his parents) throughout the ceremony. In fact, he shifted only a little at the beginning, when the priest was giving a lovely speech in Khuzdul, and then was completely still for the time that followed.

Ori and Hana had just finished saying their vows when Kili felt his son's head bump against his arm, and noticed the reason why Kien had been so still was because he had fallen asleep, probably bored out of his skull. He nearly laughed, biting his tongue to keep the sound in, because Ori and Hana were just about to be proclaimed husband and wife and that was certainly not a moment to be laughing.

Kien was startled awake by the cheer that followed, and he looked up at his father, in a mixture of surprise and apology. Kili smirked down at him, drawing him closer, and Kien smiled back. It was only an accident and he was forgiven for falling asleep during such an important event.

He had awoken just in time too. The party would soon begin and he was certainly allowed to be boisterous during that. He tried his best to stay nice and well behaved while everyone was bringing in tables and such, but soon Fien was at his side and they tore off. The tables had cloths over them so that when a persom walked by fabric stopped most of the view of what was underneath the table.

So naturally, this made them the most delightful forts for the two young boys. At first the underside of the tables was quite empty, so they could crawl and race around. When one long table ended, they had to peek under the rim of the tablecloth and wait until no one was in their path and then one of them would cross the gap between tables and then the process would be repeated by the other. Fien crossed first and then Kien waited patiently until he saw that no one was coming and quickly bolted…straight into Bofur's oncoming leg. The startled dwarf dropped a goblet, which splashed all over the floor. Kien gasped at what he had done and hurried back under the table with Fien.

"Bofur? What happened?" Someone asked.

"Just a stumble." Bofur replied, collecting the goblet.

"You're not drunk already, are you?" Someone else laughed.

"Hardly." Was the chuckled reply.

As all this occurred Kien and Fien were sitting still and silent as statues underneath the table, praying they would not be found. A pair of boots stepped closer and closer. The tablecloth was lifted and Bofur's face appeared. "Would you be a good lad and refill this for me?" He asked, smiling.

For not telling, Kien would gladly return the favor.

He took the goblet and navigated through the crowds to where barrels of ale and other beverages were. Luckily Gloin was currently manning this post and thought the idea of such a young child asking for wine amusing. Of course, Bofur nodded over at him, informing him of the situation. The goblet was filled and Kien brought it back.

"Thank you." Bofur took it from his hands. "Try to keep out of trouble now." He smiled.

Kien dashed back under the tables. Unfortunately, Fien was not under this one which led to a great search for him. People were also sitting down to eat now, so there were a number of legs and feet in his way. Kien carefully crawled down the center, trying not to bump into anyone. "Fien…?" He whispered. "Fien?" He looked out from under the tablecloth. No reply came.

Kien moved from table to table until he had given up on his cousin in the futile search and found his Naneth's feet under one table, and his Adad's right beside her. The chair beside her was empty so he crawled up from under the table and sat down there.

Tauriel was surprised to see her son appearing from under the dining table so suddenly. "Kien have been under the tables this whole time?" She asked.

Kien nodded that he had been. "Yes. It's fun."

"So that's where you and Fien wandered off to." Tauriel sighed. Keeping up with those two was near-impossible. "Where did he get all this energy from? I thought he'd been a bit tired from sitting in that ceremony." She said to Kili.

Kili smirked to himself and shrugged. "I don't know. It probably built up somehow during that."

The party continued and the dancing commenced. Kien and Fien raced around people's feet, very careful not to collide with anyone. Tauriel smiled down at the boy. "He's growing fast." She said, as she was spun around by Kili.

"Aye. One day soon we'll be taking him down to the arena and teaching how to hold a bow and watch him attempt to fire arrows." Kili nodded.

"Attempt?" Tauriel mock-scolded. "I think he will be finer at archery than both you and I. It's in his blood."

"Ah yes, that elvish streak will appear at some time."

"You can see his elvish heritage right now." Tauriel pointed out the way Kien moved with more ease around dancing couples than Fien did. "He is light on his feet."

"You're worrying over him again." Kili noted. "You really should stop. He's not going to have any trouble. They won't likely notice any elvish qualities about him. Well, perhaps the height…and definitely the ears…"

"I just don't want him to be teased about traits he really had no control over." Tauriel sighed. "Children can be judgemental of such things."

"If he's going to be teased it will be out of jealousy." Kili boasted. "He'll be a finer looking lad than the other boys. Besides, I doubt Frerin or Fien would allow any ill judgement on their cousin."

Tauriel laughed a little softly. "The ladies said that as well. About Kien being good looking when he is older." She smiled. "I believe he has inherited your charms."

"Oh?" Kili asked, smiling back.

"Yes. He requested to kiss Hana, because he thought her beautiful, and she allowed him."

"Well that could certainly be useful in the future."

Tauriel smacked his shoulder.

"No really. Give him a few years and he'll be trailing girls over the balconies under a cover of night…wooing them with verses of starlight…" Tauriel laughed at the idea. "Stealing kisses…" Kili added, turning just in time to see his little son stealing a kiss from Kara's cheek.

Maybe he shouldn't joke about such things and tempt fate. Kien may be young, but he certainly knew a pretty girl when he saw one.

He could only imagine how well his son would fare in the matters of romance…perhaps as foolishly, but successfully, as he had with Tauriel.

As long as Kien wasn't locked in the dungeon as he fell for some lass, he'd consider it an improvement in the next generation.

That night they found Kien and Fien curled up together on a set of chairs and carried their son home. He was as limp as a wet rope, and woke halfway up to help aid the process of changing him into a nightshirt, before falling back to sleep and snuggling down under his blankets.

Whatever the future held now, they were happy it would include him.

**Kien is going to have mad game with the ladies when he's older. It's been decided. Because come on...if you combine Kili and an elf you're going to have a very good-looking child. **


	9. Chapter 9 (An unwanted change)

**I think you safely say Thursday is my update day at this point. Enjoy. Ages, as requested, will now be listed below.**

"There's a baby in there?" Fien asked, skeptically, glancing over Hana's extended stomach.

"Yes." Hana nodded. "You can feel it kicking sometimes."

"Can I try?" Fien asked, placing a hand on her stomach. He held it there for a moment. "I can't feel anything." Fien replied impatiently.

"It won't kick just because you want it to." Frerin said, placing his hand on Hana's belly too as the trio sat in the library.

"There! Did you feel that?" Hana asked.

Fien had felt something move and he flinched back, half shocked and half intrigued.

"I felt that one." Frerin smiled.

"I don't think a baby would fit." Fien was still unconvinced.

"It's very small right now. Give it a few more months and I'll be as big and round as Master Bombur, because it will be bigger too."

"Oh." Fien shrugged. "Well, I guess a baby could be in there."

"Can we play with him when's he's born?" Frerin asked.

"It might be a girl…and when the child's a bit older you can play with him or her all you like."

"I'm glad it's not our baby." Fien said.

"Fien that wasn't nice." Frerin said.

"Why?" Hana asked, a little concerned.

"Because I'm already the littlest…and I like being the littlest." Fien explained.

"But Kien is younger than you…" Hana tried to convince him.

"Yes." Fien nodded. "But he's not our Amad and Adad's baby. So I'm still the littlest."

"When are Amad and Adad coming back?" Frerin asked at the mention of their parents.

"They'll be finished at Oin's soon." Hana said. "They may have a surprise for you…" She glanced over Fien again.

Not a moment later Rue entered the library and Hana rose to greet her. Their conversation was quite hushed but if one was close enough they could make out bits and pieces.

"Are you…?"

"Yes, Oin says…"

"Really?!"

"Yes."

"Fien may not…"

"Oh. Well maybe… will change…"

Frerin and Fien ran off through the library looking for their father. "Adad!" Frerin cried out when he finally spotted him. The boys were soon being held securely by one arm each, close to their father. "Do you have a surprise for us?" He asked curiously.

"How did you hear about that now?" He asked. "Has Amad told you already what it is?"

"No, not yet." Frerin shook his head. "But I want to know what it is."

"Is Amad alright?" Fien asked. "She isn't sick, is she?"

"No, she's fine." Adad shook his head. "Better than ever."

"Let's go home." Rue appeared, smiling.

Fien could not wait. He loved surprises.

/

Frerin and Fien were both seated in one large chair by the fireplace. "What is it?" Fien asked.

"What's what?" Rue teased.

"You know! The surprise Amad." He smiled back.

"You want to know now?" Rue continued to smirk.

"Yes please." Frerin said. "I want to know too."

"Shall we tell them?" Fili grinned.

"I think so." Rue smiled back. She turned toward the boys. "You know how Hana is going to have a baby soon?" Fien nodded, not understanding how this had anything to do with a surprise. Frerin was suddenly standing up by him though.

"I think I know what the surprise is! I think I know."

"Well, what do you think it is then?" Fili asked.

"Are you going to have a baby too?" He asked.

Fien's heart plummeted in his chest. Amad couldn't be having a baby. Her stomach was not big like Hana's. Amad and Adad already had him and Frerin. Amad and Adad did not need another baby. But they were all smiling and laughing and Amad finally said "Yes, I am."

"Yay!" Frerin burst up from his seat and threw his arms around his mother.

"No!" Fien protested.

Fili and Rue looked at him a little surprised. "No?" Fili asked. "You don't want another brother or sister?"

"I already have Frerin." Fien explained. "I don't need another brother."

"It could be a sister…" Frerin interrupted.

"A sister would be worse." Fien frowned.

"Fien." Rue said softly. "It won't be as bad as you think."

Fien crossed his arms over his chest. From that moment on he decided that he disliked the baby that Amad was going to have. His role was to be the youngest and that was going to be stolen from him by this child. It was easy for Frerin to be happy. He'd still be the oldest no matter what happened. Fien, on the other hand, knew that he would be stuck in the middle between them, and then there would be nothing special about him anymore. So he disliked the baby…and surprises.

/

True to his initial thoughts, the news of his Amad's new baby was very big news. Not just for family and friends, but the entire kingdom. People were starting to place bets on whether it would be a boy or a girl. People kept asking how she was, and all the attention was on her stomach. The bigger it got the more fuss was made over it. Fien stayed close by his Amad now, trying to keep her energy focused on him for the last few months that he could.

A baby was all Amad could talk about too, especially with Hana. Fien did believe Hana had a baby in her stomach now, because she had gotten very big and round, as she had promised. Hana would keep asking Amad questions about babies and how to look after them, and Amad was telling her of all the things she had done with Frerin and him. When Fien couldn't stand anymore talk of his new sibling he vanished into his room and sat on his bed with his stuffed fox and brooded.

It didn't help that he had noticed that Amad was making a stuffed otter for the new baby.

She became excited when the baby started kicking, and Frerin and his Adad always liked to feel the baby doing so. Fien would sometimes place his hand on her stomach too, and feel that strange feeling on his palm. He would frown a little to himself though. Amad's stomach was getting bigger and soon there would no longer be any room for him on her lap.

One day, when Amad was tired and Frerin had chosen to abandon him to help their Great-Uncle Thorin with his work Fien sat on his bed and brooded again when he received a surprise visitor. The door opened and his Adad came in. "Have you been in here all day?" He asked.

"No." Fien shook his head. He'd been there for almost twenty minutes.

"Something wrong?" Adad asked.

"No." Fien replied shortly, ignoring the fact that he did feel something was wrong.

Fili however, knew that something was off. Both he and Rue had noticed Fien's less than overjoyed reactions to the fast approaching arrival of their third child. It was understandable. The boy was young and easily believed that as the youngest he received more attention, even though it was evenly shared with his older brother. It would be difficult to make Fien understand that they were still as focused on him as before, especially with all the care you had to give a newborn. "I'm going to the forge. Would you like to come with me?" Fili asked.

Fien lit up at that. He absolutely adored the place. "Yes." He nodded, with growing excitement. "Can I help you?"

"Of course you can."

Rue smiled when she saw Fien's mood much improved. "What happened?" She asked. "You look much better."

"Adad's taking me to the forge." Fien smiled.

"Well, aren't you lucky." She kissed him on the top of his head. She then turned to Fili, and as Fien began searching for a pair of shoes whispered "Thank you. Maybe I can lie down and have some rest now. Or check in on Hana if I'm up to it and see how she is doing with Orian." She paused for a second. "You'll speak to him about the baby, right?"

"I'll try to." Fili replied.

"I've attempted to bring it up, but every time I do he ignores me and wanders off." She sighed. "I hope he likes it when it finally arrives."

"Oh, he'll change his mind, don't worry." Fili said. "Fien, are you coming?" He asked, loudly.

"I'm coming! Don't leave without me!" The reply was shouted back. Fien came tumbling out of his room, ready to leave.

"We'll be back later." Fili said to Rue as he opened the door and sent Fien speeding down the halls.

"What will you be doing today?" Fien asked. "Are you going to make more knives?" Fili certainly had a lot of knives, many of which got lost when hunting, or simply worn beyond repair.

"No, not today. I have a different project in mind." Fili answered. "But you can still help."

"Alright." Fien nodded. He did not really care what they made, so long as he got to sit beside his Adad and pass him hammers and chisels. He liked it even better when Frerin was already occupied and it was just him and his father. It felt nicer like that, and he didn't have to worry about taking turns.

Yet another reason why he didn't want a little brother or sister. They would have to come along and it wouldn't be just him and Adad anymore.

"Well, if it isn't young Master Fien back at the forge!" Gloin's face peered over a workbench. "I was starting to get worried you'd never be back here."

"Don't tempt him Gloin, he loves the forge too much." Fili smiled in greeting. "He'd sleep here by the furnaces if we let him." It was the truth. Fien had taken to the forge upon his first visit even better than Frerin. He loved the people, the work, even the loud noise. One would think there was not a single drop of nymphian blood in him, he preferred the forge over any other place on earth it seemed.

Fili and Fien walked toward the back where they often worked. Fien scrambled up on his usual stool and Fili sat down and began working away at a mold. Fien was watching curiously over his shoulder. "What are you making?" He asked, after trying to think of what it could be for a few minutes.

"A pendant." Fili answered. "For Amad."

Fien nodded, finally seeing how the mold would form the piece. "Why? Amad has two already."

"Yes." Fili answered. "I made the first for her when Frerin was born, and the second when you were born." He explained. "Now I have to start work on the third so I can give it to her on time."

"Why do you give her pendants for having us?"Fien asked, curious.

Fili snickered to himself. "Because Fien…having a baby is no easy feat, and your Amad will certainly earn it." He passed the mold over to Fien. "Now file that down as best you can." Fien picked up one of the nearby files and set to work. Fili kept an eye on him as he brought the forge back to glowing life. Fien was good with metal, that much was easy to see. It had been a comfort to them when he and Rue had realised Fien could be as good at making things as he was at breaking them. He would be talented at this craft, there was little doubt.

Fien ran his hands over the metal mold, checking to make sure it was smooth and even as his Adad and Master Dwalin and Gloin had shown him. Judging it to be ready, he set it aside and waited for his father to return.

Fili came back shortly and soon he and Fien were melting down little pellets of silver in the blazing fires. This was a long process, with careful turning and patience, but it was also calm work. During this moment Fili looked over to Fien and finally spoke.

"Fien, why do you not want another sibling?" He asked, seriously. Fien looked up at him with big eyes. "I know that's how you feel." Fili continued. "You can tell me."

"When Amad has another baby I won't matter." Fien answered, sounding sad.

"Yes you will." Fili almost snapped. How could Fien think like that?

"Frerin will be the oldest and the baby will be the littlest. I'll be neither. There won't be anything special about me."

Fili wished he immediately knew what to say. The truth was, he had never experienced what Fien was feeling. It had been just him and Kili. Even if his own mother had more children he still would have been the first born, the crown heir. Rue didn't know either, he realised. She had been the youngest, not to mention the only daughter in her family. They didn't have the perspective of being the 'middle-child'.

"Nothing special?" He asked. "But you'll be the only one with an older sibling and younger sibling both." That had been a clever argument, at least in his mind. Fien sighed, helping to rotate the melting silver, still unconvinced. "We'll still love you, just as we always have." Fili smiled, assuredly.

"But what if the new baby is nicer than me?!" Fien protested.

Ah, so it was favoritism at play here…

"I doubt there could be anyone like you in our family, ever again." Fili replied. That seemed to calm Fien's worries a bit. "We love you all the same amount." He promised.

"Really?" Fien still sounded skeptical. Now the only problem was how to explain to a young child that they loved everyone equally, but simply for being different children. A broad concept for a small mind.

"Yes. It's like…well…your Amad and I love you because you're Fien and your brother because he's Frerin and we'll love the baby because it's our baby." Fien looked confused. Fili felt confused by what he had just said too. He attempted to explain the matter again, thinking hard of way to make it known to Fien. "It's like…" Suddenly the perfect way to say it dawned on him. "Well, you love me and your Amad and Frerin right?" Fien nodded. "Do you love any one of us more than the other?"

Fien thought the question over, and finally understood what his Adad had meant. This realisation made him feel a little better about the new sibling that was a few months away. He decided he would allow the new baby to come into their family. He was still a little unsure as to whether or not he would like it though. But allowing it to be welcomed by the family now seemed fair.

"Oh." Fien spoke up at last, having made his decision. "I think I get it."

"So Amad can have the baby?"

"Amad is going to have it either way." Fien said. "Don't be silly Adad."

Together they finished the pendant, sealing to the mold and quickly pouring the molten silver into it. Fien watched Gloin repair axes and observed other business at the forge until the metal had settled and they opened the mold and out fell the silver pendant.

Fili was actually surprised by how smooth the pendant itself was. Only a line around the middle, caused by how the two pieces of the mold had joined and some liquid silver had leaked through, was present. Much was the piece itself was as flawless as glass. "Well done." He nodded at Fien. "Excellent work with the files."

Fien beamed on his stool. Amad was sure to love it.

/

The pendant had become a secret project between Fili and Fien. Frerin sometimes came as well, and knew of the pendant, but he left the creation of it his brother and father, keeping busy with other tasks at the forge, usually with Dwalin.

Together father and son carefully etched designs into the metal, often practising on other metal first, to get the final piece perfect. Then they set stones in it. Fien began to grow anxious of when he could give it to Amad, and because of this, little by little, he also became excited for the arrival of the baby.

He'd tell Amad how he made it when he'd give it to her at last.

Maybe he'd tell his little brother or sister how he had made it too, when they were old enough to understand.

Rue was quite pleased by the change in Fien's attitude to the new child. He often asked how much longer until it would arrive, and each passing day brought a smile and an impatient sigh. "I don't know how you did it." She told Fili one night. "But you're absolutely brilliant."

Fili smugly agreed that he was brilliant, and she smirked at him before she tugged on his mustache and added "Big headed too." She laughed. "Big headed and brilliant."

The pendant was soon finished, and Fien waited, trying to be patient. He was about as anxious as his father and the rest of the mountain for the baby's arrival. His mother's stomach was large and round like Hana's had been. The baby had stopped kicking, but Amad had said that was supposed to happen. Fien wondered if that meant the baby was stuck. Amad laughed at him and said it was not, it had only grown and was starting to get too big to be in her stomach much longer.

Fien did not realize it, but he had started to love the unborn child just as the rest of his family had, despite having first viewed it as an unwanted change. Those bitter thoughts were gone now. Believe it or not, he was now voicing concerns that the child wouldn't like him. His worries had become totally the opposite of what they had been. The only question that remained now was what Fien and the new addition would think of each other when they day finally came around.

It came unexpectedly for Fien, because he woke up and realised he was not in his own bed. Someone must have moved him as he slept. He was nervous at first, but then realised Frerin was lying beside him and he felt better. "Frerin…?" He whispered in the dimness. "Frerin, where are we?"

Frerin awoke (barely) and mumbled "We're at Grandmother's."

"Oh. Why?"

"Amad started having the baby."

"Oh!" Fien shot up from the bed.

"Where are you going?" Frerin whispered, sleepily.

"To see the new baby." Fien stated, as though it was obvious.

"It hasn't been born yet." Frerin replied. "We have to wait here until Adad comes and gets us."

The door opened and their grandmother, Dis, peeked inside. The whispering had woken her and she had decided to check on the boys."Fien, what are you doing out of bed?"

"Can I go see the new baby?" Fien asked.

"Oh sweetheart, the baby hasn't been born yet." Dis explained, repeating what Frerin had just said. "It's the middle of the night too, you should be sleeping."

"I can't sleep." Fien huffed.

"Can you try?"

Fien was doubtful that he could, but he did end up dosing off again, out of boredom if nothing else because Frerin was dreaming away beside him and being no fun. That morning he was woken again by his father. Amad was with him. In that immediate moment Fien did not notice the bundle that was his new sibling. He only quickly handed over the pendant to his mother, the piece having been produced a moment ago from his father's pocket.

"I made it." He smiled.

"Oh, Fien it's beautiful." Rue smiled at her son. "I don't imagine anyone else could have made it any nicer. You didn't make it by yourself, did you?"

"With Adad." He added.

Fien was about to burst with the detailed process of how they made the pendant when he noticed Frerin giving their Amad a kiss on the cheek and he was suddenly reminded of the baby and noticed the bundle. Quickly he kissed his mother too, and took a look at the tiny face in the blankets. "It has dark hair!" That was the first thing he noticed, the absence of blond.

"'It' is your brother, Gideon." Rue replied softly. "What do you think of him?"

Fien studied the baby for a moment. He was smaller than what he thought the baby would be, and he hadn't expected dark hair. Gideon. It was a nice name. It didn't start with an F, but it was still nice. Gideon's eyes opened. He had blue eyes, like their father. He gazed up at Fien, and didn't cry. He just stared curiously. "I like him." Fien said at last.

Gideon must have liked him too, he decided.

**Ages in human terms**

**Frerin= 4.5 Fien= 2.5 Gideon= newborn (which makes Kien= close to 2.5, and Orian= like, a two months?)**

**Three kids down one to go. plus Tauris...and Vesper.**


	10. Chapter 10 (The gentle soul)

**As requested, ages will be displayed up here now:**

**Frerin- a few months shy of five**

**Fien- a few months shy of three**

**Gideon- three months old**

**Kien- 2.5**

**Orian- 4.5 months old**

**Those are the human equivalents. It was also requested that dwarf ages be listed. For that, just multiply by three. I think the actual formula is something strange like the human age multiplied by 3.2 and then subtract 18 but that can be confusing, especially when characters are young, so to make it simpler just triple the number. **

Gideon cried a lot. Not usually loudly though, mostly whimpers. Except at night. He hated the night. He hated being alone in a dark room. Which was why he so often awoke in the middle of the night and cried out for me or Fili. I didn't understand it. Frerin and Fien had been through a stage of sleepless nights too, but Gideon looked upset the moment you tucked him into his crib and began to blow out the candles. The other boys simply dosed off, finding the darkness quite peaceful.

It was the middle of the night and I woke from seemingly nothing. But I knew. A mother always knows. I got out of bed quietly to not disturb Fili and tiptoed past Frerin and Fien's rooms. My tired mind lazily thought that if we had any more children they would have to start sharing a room. Frerin's was big enough to hold them both if we moved furniture around.

Sure enough I began to hear the soft whimpers from Gideon's room. I opened the door, and the sight of a strange shadowy figure made him start to cry. I reached him before he increased his volume. "Shh…" I said. "It's Amad, don't worry." Gideon sniffled. I picked him up, blanket and all, and brought him outside our home so it would be quiet for the rest of our family. "Shh." I repeated as his sniffles and whimpers continued, rubbing his back. There was a tiny knock on the door.

"Yes Frerin?" I asked.

The door opened to reveal both of my older sons. "Why does Gideon cry so much?" Frerin asked, concerned.

"He's still a baby." I answered. "He doesn't know how to talk so he cries when he needs something. He can't sleep tonight."

"I think he gets scared of the dark." Frerin replied. "Everything is so big and he's so small…"

Gideon was smaller than the two of them had been when he was born. I gently kissed the baby's head.

"You two should be in your beds." I said. "Back to sleep."

"Goodnight Amad." A hardly awake Fien said, having judged Gideon was in good hands. He and Frerin were watchful brothers over him. Gideon was a lucky boy.

I worried for him though. He was only three months old by human ages, but I knew he was different. He was quite nymphian in appearance, more lithe than his older brothers. Tauriel often spoke of similar concerns for Kien and now I felt I understood her far better. Gideon was smaller, and he just seemed…frail. He didn't eat as much as Frerin and Fien had either, which had caused me great worry. I was trying to figure out if his appetite was smaller or if Frerin and Fien's had just been much bigger.

Gideon's bright blue eyes closed. I smirked. He had a habit of smiling in his first few minutes of sleep. It was such a sweet smile too, like his father's, dimples and all. When he was fast asleep I wrapped him up securely in his blanket and placed him back in his cradle. He would likely sleep through the rest of the night. I returned to bed, realising how nice and warm it was beside my husband.

All too soon it felt like I was waking up again. It wasn't until I noticed that the space beside me in the bed was vacant and there was the sound of Frerin and Fien at play already that I realised I had been allowed to sleep for another hour or so more than my routine normally entitled. I hurried out of bed to find the three boys on the sitting room floor. Frerin and Fien were playing and Gideon was in Fili's lap, still asleep.

"Oh good. You're awake now." Fili smiled up at me. "He's been stirring more and more." He nodded down at Gideon. "He's bound to wake up any minute, and he'll likely want to be fed."

"The other boys?"

"Already fed them breakfast." Fili nodded.

"Thank you." I smiled, bending down and giving him a grateful kiss. Gideon awoke as I did so and stared curiously at us. "Good morning." I said to him.

"Amad?" Frerin pulled at my sleeve a little.

"Yes darling?" I asked.

"Can we go outside today?" He asked.

"That sounds like a good idea." I nodded. "Let's wait till later though? I'm still waking up."

Frerin was fine with this development. I departed to Gideon's room to feed him. His appetite was peckish again. I sighed. I hoped he was getting enough to grow. With this done I placed him back in Fili's care long enough for me to quickly wash and dress for the day.

"Can Kien come too?" Fien inquired as to our day's plans.

"Kien, Tauriel…Hana and Orian may come if they please." I agreed. "The spring air will do them all good."

"Well, I hardly want to go and work with Uncle Thorin now." Fili said.

"Sorry, Adad." Frerin smiled at his joke.

"I'll make sure to have lots of fun for you." Fien smirked.

"Aye, I bet you will." Fili nodded. "Be good today and listen to your mother."

"Yes, Adad." The older boys nodded and stood to give him an embrace and a smile before he departed into Erebor. I gave Fili another kiss before he left as well.

"Grab your coats." I nodded at the boys. "It's not the height of spring yet." The two of them dashed off in search of the articles. I dressed Gideon in multiple layers of clothing. Being so young, the elements, even those that were not normally so harsh, were a bit unfriendly to him. He had been outside a handful of times this spring already. Most of those occasions he had fallen asleep, but during his time awake he had appeared to enjoy the outdoors. He was curious of the outside world, or at least the plateaus we explored. They were gentle, peaceful little place. Gideon liked peaceful things, that was easy to see. The peace, the quiet, they were his element.

Perhaps he would be a scribe, like Ori. That would be helpful with the running of Erebor when he was older. It would suit him well, if his personality developed like this.

Gideon babbled at me, stuffed inside a sweater and jacket, starting to look a little shapeless in the bundle of outer clothing. I held him against my shoulder, collected the boys, and the four of us embarked to Tauriel and Kili's. Kili had already joined his brother and uncle, and Kien was very excited to join us, practically running off for a coat before Tauriel could reply. Of course, Tauriel did enjoy any time she could be under the sky and in nature. She consented to join us.

We had to all but run to keep up with Fien and Kien as they raced each other down the halls. "Be careful where you are going Kien." Tauriel called to her son.

"You too Fien." I added. This hall was currently filled with other people, and the young boys were dashing in between everyone. It looked like a collision could happen at any moment. I grimaced as Fien narrowly avoided an elderly dwarrowdame carrying various parcels. "Please." I sighed under my breath.

The two arrived at Ori and Hana's door before us and knocked (perhaps a bit too enthusiastically) on it. Hana had made the change from being a scribe and translator to being a wife and mother beautifully. She opened the door looking lovely, and with Orian on her hip. "Hello." She grinned when she noticed our children.

"Fien…"

"…and Kien…"

"At your service!" They finished together with a bow.

Perhaps the tale of that night the quest began at Bilbo's house was told a few times more than needed, I thought. According to their fathers, they had the introduction perfectly copied from them.

"We're going outside today." Fien explained.

"Would you like to come with us?" Kien asked.

"You and Orian." I smiled, finally reaching her doorway.

"I think I should like that." Hana beamed. She too, wrapped her young son up in a large bundle of a coat and then our party moved through the halls (again, as gracefully as Fien and Kien would allow us too) to the little staircase and sought out the soft, grassy mountain plateaus.

The sun was warm, but there was still a light breeze, that nipped like early spring does. The older boys were not bothered by this at all, and Orian and Gideon were wrapped up all warm and snug.

"Stay where we can see you!" I shouted as they sped off in all directions. Orian whined to be put down, and Hana placed him on the grass.

Before long, the troublesome two were off having their pretend adventures and Frerin was slipping in and out of their expedition while bringing things over to Gideon. Rocks, wildflowers, leaves. Gideon eyed down each and every item. He would carefully pick at the clovers and grass beneath him too. The world outside the mountain was full of wonder, that he happily observed from the safety of my side. Presently, Frerin brought to Gideon a stray caterpillar he had found. "He just hatched when the sun came out." Frerin said to his little brother. "Master Balin says this kind becomes moths." He then made to hand over the vulnerable insect.

"He's still small, Frerin." I said, warningly. Gideon did not know any better and would likely squish the poor thing.

"He'll be nice to it." Frerin promised me. "He can handle gentle things." He then placed the fluffy caterpillar in Gideon's hand.

True to what Frerin had said, Gideon kept his tiny palm open, never crowding or crushing the insect. He even gently touched the soft covering with a careful finger. He then smiled and laughed at the strange new creature in his hand. It was probably the most controlled and delicate actions from such a small child I would ever see.

Especially since Orian was uprooting grass and such as any child that size would a few feet away. His hair had grown and it was becoming obvious he had inherited his mother's curls.

"See? I told you." Frerin said, shuffling the insect back into his open palm and placing it on a nearby shrub.

"Yes." I said, quite surprised, as I watched Frerin return to Fien and Kien's make believe quest. I stared down at Gideon. He was a unique child indeed.

"Kien, no fair!" Fien shouted. "I can't climb as quickly as you can."

My eyes darted across the landscape to a tall pine tree with sturdy branches, where the boys were all climbing. Kien was at a higher point than his cousins.

"It's not my fault…." Kien said, trying to explain. "I can fly."

"You can't fly." Fien shook his head in disbelief.

"Sort of." Kien defended himself. "I can float."

"How?" Frerin and Fien asked, glancing up.

"Like this." Kien said, and demonstrated his new found ability by leaping higher than anticipated to reach hold of a branch above him. He then heaved himself onto the limb, assisting this movement with a little kick against the truck that easily helped him jump onto the branch. "See? I float."

"Frerin do you think I can float too?" Fien asked excitedly.

"No." Frerin shook his head, before I screamed the word at Fien myself. "You'd fall if you tried that."

"Tauriel…" I finally managed to say something about the occurrence.

"I know, I saw it as well." Tauriel replied. "He looks so much like Kili, and his personality is so much like his too…but he is an elf at the same time."

We watched as they climbed higher until the limbs of the tree began to look too thin. Then they started to cast down pinecones. Maybe they had heard that story too much as well…they were boys and excited greatly their father's tales.

There was suddenly a crack of thunder, and we noticed a storm cloud passing from the other side of the mountain. "Frerin, Fien, come down." I called. "Hurry, please."

Getting down the tree was a bit more difficult than climbing it, and it started to pour buckets down on us before they reached the bottom. Hana pulled her cloak over Orian protectively and I did likewise with Gideon. He watched the raindrops with interest.

Kien was also able to climb down as easily as he climbed up, jumping lightly down a distance twice his height and landing on his feet, completely unharmed.

"Can I try floating down?" Fien asked.

"Fien, you cannot float, you are part nymph, not elf." I gently explained. "Now hurry please, we're soaked."

They scrambled down and then we were all racing back to the inside of the mountain. Each one of us gathered our respective children and went to our homes, hair dripping. Frerin and Fien were smirking at their soaked state. I opened the door to our home and ushered them inside. "Hurry and get into some dry clothes." I said. "I'll start up a fire and we'll dry off."

They went off to do as I said and undressed a wet Gideon. His black hair was plastered against his head. I searched for a new tunic for him, when I heard him whimpering again. I turned around to look at him. He was shivering.

I was surprised. Frerin and Fien had rarely shivered or expressed any concern of cold temperatures before. They were like Fili, always warm. I had anticipated that Gideon would be as uneffected. This was not the case though. I hurried over, placing the tunic on him, changing the rest of his clothes and then wrapping him up in a blanket and holding him against me.

I quickly lit a fire in our hearth and then sat in front of it, letting Gideon soak up the heat. Frerin and Fien soon joined me. "Amad?" Frerin asked.

"Yes?"

"Can we have a story?"

"Which one would you like?"

"The one with the Giant Spiders." Fien smiled, the two of them snuggling close.

I smiled as the four of us warmed up. "Once upon a time, Thorin Oakenshield and his company were wandering a twisting, turning, confusing path through Mirkwood…"

/

"Amad…?" Frerin's soft voice called, his hand shaking my shoulder.

"Hmmm?" I hummed, trying to wake up.

"Amad!" He pressed.

"Is something wrong Frerin?" Fili turned over.

"Gideon's crying, but he's not making any noise."

"How do you know?" I asked, getting up now.

"Fien slept in his room so he wouldn't be scared and then he noticed when he woke up."

I got up and walked past him, hurrying to Gideon's room. Fien was there standing watch over Gideon. Sure enough Gideon had tears on his face, but he wasn't making a sound. "What's happening to him?" Fien asked as I picked Gideon up.

"He's burning up." I said, realizing how warm he was now. "He has a fever. It must have been the rain…"

Fili stood in the doorway. I carried Gideon past him. We had a few herbs in the kitchen, which we could use in situations like this. I set a kettle to boil and pulled something out, carefully steeping the powder in a cup and getting a tiny spoon out of the cupboard with it.

I finished making the small dose of tea, and began to gently spoon it into Gideon's mouth. The first swallow he took nicely, but then quickly realised the bitter flavor of the tea and tried to avoid my efforts. He scrunched up his face and whimpered again, as I managed to spill the second spoonful down his throat. Quickly I took the last spoonful and fed it to him. He swallowed involuntarily, and coughed, his eyes watering from the taste of it. "All done." I promised him.

The rest of my family was standing around the kitchen. "I'll stay up with him for a while." I said. Frerin and Fien returned to their beds (Fien back to his usual one in his own room), and Fili set a small fire in the hearth for me. I sat down and cuddled Gideon close, checking his brow again and again, waging his fever.

"If he doesn't improve, we can always go to Oin, even if it's the middle of the night." Fili told me.

"It probably won't come to that." I said. "It's just a fever, I had them as a child too."

"I know, but he's young." Fili said. "We should keep a close eye on him."

I understood that. If it were Frerin or Fien that had gotten sick I would be less worried. They were young but strong and resilient. Gideon was a baby still.

His fever persisted throughout the night, and gave way to chills. His forehead was still too warm and I did not wish to wrap him in a blanket and have him overheat, so Fili and I exchanged seats and he held Gideon close against the warm surface of his chest.

Finally, his fever broke and he dosed off, overtired. I enjoyed the display of a smile on his face before he fell into a deeper sleep. Running my hand absentmindedly through his dark hair, Fili spoke up.

"I wonder where he got the dark hair from?" He said.

"Most of my family had darker hair." I said. "Then there's your mother, your uncle, Kili…it's you and I and the rest of our family that have the different coloring."

"He's more like a nymph than a dwarf, I expect." Fili said, eyeing the softer features of our third son.

I nodded. "That is not a bad thing is it?"

Fili chuckled. "Over the years I have developed quite the appreciation for the nymphian race. I've grown quite fond of them actually."

I laughed softly in return.

"No, he is fine." Fili affirmed.

"I worry for him. The same way Tauriel worries over Kien."

"He'll do fine." Fili dismissed any chance of ill fortune for Gideon, just as Kili did for his son. "He won over Fien pretty quickly, and I'm sure everyone else will follow."

"I know but it's not just the way he looks." I sighed. "It's how he is. He's so gentle, and he becomes frightened more easily and-"

"Well, he's only a baby. " Fili smirked. "What do you expect him to do? Cause a landslide and fight a dragon?"

"Very funny." I huffed. "Kien may look half-elf and be able to float around like one-"

"He floats? Kili's going to have his hands full with that."

I sighed again at the interruption. "Kien still, well, acts like a dwarfling. Loud, rambunctious, getting into mischief and having run. Gideon does not."

"Give him time." Fili said, placing Gideon in my arms so I could put him back in his cradle. "He may surprise us."


	11. Chapter 11 (Growing again)

**Ages:**

**Frerin-5 Fien- 3 Gideon- 6 months Kien- 2.5 Tauris- newborn Orian- 8 months**

"Oh Tauriel…" I smiled. "He's beautiful."

"Thank you." Tauriel was beaming, but never taking her eyes off the little, pointy-eared newborn in her arms.

"Just like his mother." Kili was smiling too. He gently stroked the soft hair on the baby's head. It was fiery and red, like Tauriel's. His ears were pointer too, more than Kien's even.

"Have you named him yet?" Fili asked.

"Tauris." Kili nodded. "We thought it would be something with a 'K', but he looks so much like her, it suits him."

Kien was grinning too, admiring his little brother. "Can I hold him Naneth? Please …?"

Tauriel nodded and Kien sat himself on the bed next to her. Young Tauris, who was at this moment mostly lost in his swaddling blankets, was carefully placed in Kien's arms. Tauriel kept her hand under his head, supporting it. "Be gentle." She reminded her first son. Kien nodded that he would and sat very, very still.

"I like his toes." Fien said, observationally, looking at Tauris's tiny feet. "They're so small."

"Another grandchild for me…" Dis sighed happily. "As well as another extended nephew for you Thorin." The brooding king under the mountain had scoffed when news of Tauriel's pregnancy had come out (with the usual joy hidden in his eyes too, of course). Thorin had said we would soon have more children than we could handle. But now that the little red-haired dwelfling had arrived at last, he was all smiles and pride.

"He arrived not a moment too soon." I said. "Our visitors for the summer will be arriving soon."

Hana smiled at that news as well. She loved it here in Erebor, with her sweet little family, but she did miss her outgoing brother every now and then.

Even Varis was missed by us, in an odd sort of way. She was did not like to be argued with, usually had some snappy remark, and there was little room in her heart for softness. But it was that little room that held onto a nicer side of her that made her so tolerable, along with her fierceness, and her bold heart, which was surely admirable. We liked Thorin (temper, grumpiness and all) for much of the same reasons.

Tauris began to fuss and move in Kien's hold. Kien began to look worried. "Naneth…" He said, with some alarm. Tauriel smirked at his slight distress over the infant and took Tauris back into her hold, relieving Kien of his duty.

After another half hour of admiring our sweet new nephew I finally managed to pull the boys and Fili away with just enough time to get everyone ready for the day before the soon arriving guests made it to our door. I smiled as Frerin and Fien walked comfortably down the halls of Erebor in their nightshirts. Gideon was smiling on my hip. He was as pleased with the newest addition to our family as we were.

"Get dressed." I said to Frerin, who was old enough to complete the task nice and quickly. "Help Fien. Make sure he doesn't take all morning."

I looked at the clock. "Oh! Be quick about it too, we have fifteen minutes!" Ander was always very punctual.

I dashed into mine and Fili's room, quickly getting out of the old dress I had chosen to wear while I was at Tauriel's side. Gideon was placed on the bed where he rolled around on the blankets happily, laughing lightly at me as I changed clothes. I was in a rush and nearly tripping over the fabric. No doubt it looked humorous.

"You're next." I replied to his laughter. I finished dressing just as Fili came in and peeled off his tunic. I grabbed Gideon to get him out of his nightshirt, but paused for a moment to admire the view, so to speak.

Fili caught me at it and laughed. "I thought we were pressed for time."

"Well…not that much." I grinned back. Gideon began to babble and coo, alerting me that time was indeed passing and we would soon have company to welcome. I had to leave Fili to his own devices and quickly dress him.

"Arms up." I said, stripping off the nightshirt to replace it with a little tunic. Gideon obeyed. I glanced over his sweet little body. He'd been skinny for a time. His small appetite had probably been responsible for it. Now he had moved onward to real food, and had gained the weight that he needed. Now he had an adorable round little belly like he should. I tickled him at his sides and he laughed loudly, plopping backwards. I continued my little assault and dipped my head down, blowing a burst of air onto his stomach, which had him squealing with delight.

What was it about my family that distracted me so? I used to be so good about keeping things running smoothly, even when I had Frerin. True, Fien had been…a disturbance (though in many ways a welcome one). His never ending antics kept me on my feet. Thank Navestal and Mahal Gideon was so easy going and quiet. They all captured my attention, for they never stopped growing or smiling or finding something new.

And then Fili would do something like take his shirt off and there was simply no ignoring that.

Ah yes, I should be so occupied with them, watching and adoring, always. They grew too fast. It seemed like not too long ago it had been just Fili and I in this home and then there had been those lovely years with Frerin as an only child to enjoy. He still was as well behaved as ever, I thought to myself. Those days had given way to these, and each one seemed to pass with remarkable speed. When had the boys become so tall?

"Amad when is company coming?" Frerin asked from in the kitchen.

"They said by eleven." I called back. "What time is it now?"

"It will be eleven in two minutes." Frerin replied.

"Then we better hurry." I shouted, quickly placing Gideon in his clothes and herding everyone outside.

Despite every attempt to arrive on time, when we finally arrived at the gate the two nymphs were already there. Thankfully Hana had been more watchful of the clock than us and had come down to welcome her brother and kin. Ander had his usual smile on his face, and Varis, even after all these years sported the same white fur cloak of that fierce warg.

"Your majesties." Ander bowed, as he usually did, to my sons. "Sire, milady." He nodded respectively at us, giving a second small bow.

"Ander." I embraced him kindly. "And Varis." I bowed before her. She may not be royalty in the strictest definition, but respect was highly valued by her. "It is good to see you came as well."

"Thank you." Varis said, diplomatically, bowing as well.

Fien was gazing over her cloak with curiosity. "Was that a real wolf?" He asked.

"It was not a wolf. It was a warg." Varis corrected. Her voice held no venom. She may have been irritable with us, but with children she was surprisingly tolerable. Not doting in any way, but neutral.

Ander on the other hand was certainly doting. He had already scooped up his young nephew. "He's grown since last I came." He smiled. "Look at him Varis, my nephew…the friend of princes."

Varis rolled her eyes at him. Her stiffness often made her unappealing to have as a friend, yet Ander thought of her as one. Perhaps it was the seemingly endless opportunities to get a rise out of her that persuaded him. Either way, our small circle was one she must have regarded as her closest friendships.

"After you've settled into your rooms," I spoke to her. "I would very much enjoy it if we could spar again."

She smiled at that. Perhaps this why I was so fond of her. I knew few other ladies who knew how to fight (Hana, for example, had never touched a blade in her life) and fight well. This often left most of usual sparring partners to be men, predominantly those dear dwarves from our old company. Dwalin was still able to knock me off my feet after all this time. Tauriel was the only lady I would fight against, but archery had always been her favorite, so I more often called on her more for hunting than training with a blade. Varis was, in this respect, my only rival.

I briefly wondered if I should have lost my interest for sword fighting when I became a mother. True, it wasn't something one would normally see their mother doing. But it was part of who I was, and it was a skill I hoped I would never lose.

Old habits died hard, I supposed.

Varis and I were soon back to where we usually were. My children sat on the side of the arena, Frerin holding Gideon close.

"So…" I said, pausing the conversation to block an overhead attack, "…how is the South?"

"Well…considering all things." Varis replied.

"What sort of things?" I asked, concerned. The Southern tribe was as fierce as Varis, and I had a feeling any disorder could not be overlooked.

"It appears I have an opposition." Varis said, her tone not pleased.

I paused again to deliver an offensive move to her side, which she caught. Damn! It had looked like I was about to get her that time too. "Someone else is looking for the leadership of your tribe? Varis…if it is that important you did not need to come visiting here."

"I said I had opposition, I did not say it was a strong opposition. It's nothing I can't handle."

"That is good to hear." I concluded. Our swords clashed against one another a few times, as we tried to shove each other to the side. "It is also nice to hear that you missed us." I smirked.

"When did I say that?" Varis made an impressive move and I had to duck to avoid her.

"You came, that action speaks for itself." I smiled. "I know if you hated to come than you wouldn't have."

Varis sighed, continuing the spar. "You've gotten stronger." She said.

"Thank you." I replied, practically laughing as I added "I think it's because I've been holding so many babies all the time. They're not exactly light as feathers you know. My arms have probably gotten stronger."

Varis nodded over to my children. "I imagine so."

"They will probably want to hear the story of the White Warg." I added, becoming a little breathless with constant movements. "They absolutely love the tales of our travels to the Lonely Mountain. Would you be so kind?"

"I may find some time for it." Varis said.

"I'm rather surprised by you right now." I admitted. "You see to be in uncannily good spirits."

"I always am when I am fighting." Varis smirked. "I think it clears my head."

"Mine too." I huffed out a great breath. "Enough Varis. I can't keep up with you. I spent half the night up with Tauriel. She gave birth last night."

Varis lowered her blade and walked back to her belt which she had laid down in the sand. "I heard the news." She said as she slung the weapon over her shoulder. "I thought she could not have any more children?"

"So did we." I smiled. "Tauris is really a miracle, just like his brother. " I was beaming ear to ear as I went over to my children.

"You didn't win…" Fien frowned a little at me.

"No. They just stopped. Like when she fights with Adad." Frerin corrected him.

"Yes. I'm quite tired after the night I had with your aunt." I explained. "Forgive me if my stamina is not what it usually is."

"Stamina?" Fien asked.

"Energy, darling." I translated for him.

"When can I learn to fight with a sword?" Frerin asked.

"You haven't taught him yet?" Varis asked, a little surprised.

I shot her a look. Frerin was still young. Any formal training with weapons would not be for a few more years. "If you keep growing at this rate, it won't be long." I smiled. "For now, you can practise tying those knots I taught you. The one's for snares. You remember them?"

"Of course." Frerin replied. He practised them regularly. Sometimes he was able to untie them as I had done, other times we had to cut the string free.

Gideon yawned sleepily from Frerin's lap. "I think he's tired. He was up earlier than usual, given last night's events." I said to Varis. "I'll take my leave now. Feel free to seek me out later this evening."

Varis nodded. "Would it be alright if I stayed in this arena? It's relatively private, and I'd like to practice on my own."

"You are the guest here." I nodded. "Do as you wish."

I left her to drills, and watched as my growing children raced each other down the halls.

/

Varis knew she was considered a bit different from other nymphs. Hana for example, the most kind and sweet and gentle. She was in no way like Hana, nor did she desire to be. Rue was braver and had more fight in her. She was fiercely loyal. Yet she too had a softer soul, and a motherly being about her too, now that she had her family. Varis was not like that either. She did not dislike children, but she wasn't particularly fond of them either. She had other goals in mind.

She was brutally tough. You could see it in her body too. She had no soft lines and willowy figure. Her body was honed from battles and training. Strong shoulders, angles and where other ladies might have a flat surface of a stomach, hers had small bumps and ridges, the silhouette of the layer of muscle underneath.

She had to keep herself like this too. Her strength and skill were as important to her as blood or the air in her lungs. They kept her respected by her followers, her men, and that meant she stayed in leadership of her tribe. She had long ago lost her confidence in the old leader. Men thought with only their brawn, and rarely their brains. Or, at least those of her tribe had. It made leadership before shaky. Arguments were common, and battles for power followed them. No. The Southern tribe had needed a leader who's brain was as strong as their body. It needed a female ruler.

She had fought so long and hard to be that ruler. She was still fighting to maintain it, keeping her position unquestioned. It was difficult at times. Some men did not take kindly to women's orders. Large (but surprisingly fragile) ego's, Varis mused. Another reason why the South was better off without a man in power.

There was the slight sound of someone stepping across the sand, and Varis kept up her drills, ignoring the visitor until she heard a blade being drawn, and turned sharply around, meeting the opposing sword in a block. "Ander." She nodded at her friend.

"Varis." He returned the brief greeting. "I knew I would find you here. I did not even bother looking elsewhere for you."

"Am I needed elsewhere?" Varis asked.

"No." Ander shrugged.

"Then you've no reason to interrupt me." Varis frowned. Frowning, she thought, I do that a lot as well. Most men want someone who smiles like Hana does all the time. But you can't have such an overly pleased and happy looking face for people to trust you to lead. They want you to be indifferent, and you must be firm, especially in the South.

"I actually came to join you." Ander said. He then slid the block, and tried to swipe at her, but she was much quicker.

"You should see the new little prince." He said. "Sweet little thing…and his hair is fiery red, like the elf's."

"You know my feelings toward children."

"Exactly, and I know you don't hate them." Ander smirked. "I can see you now, sitting by some fireplace with all the little princes and my nephew gathered round, telling them stories of that Great Battle we had."

"Can you do anything but jest?" Varis snapped. "What happened to Ander, the diplomat who came in the place of his grandmother and parents to our tribe?"

Ander hurried to block her attacks. Whenever she got frustrated or angry her offensive moves became bolder. "Ah, but I am not that serious man right now. It's summer, and my only duty is to visit my sister and friends. Entertain my nephew…" He continued to block her. Despite the fact that Ander did not often fight, he was good at it. He had been trained, just as any man would be. "…so I can poke as much fun at you as I wish." She stabbed the air, dangerously close to his side. Ander drew in a sharp, surprised, intake of breath. "Of course, that may be a rather risky way to pass the time."

Varis smirked. "I'll make sure to aim a little more to the right next time."

"Aha!" Ander pointed his sword at her, taking a few steps back to avoid any attack while he was so exposed. "There it was! That little smile of yours! And you jested right back, I knew you still had it in you, even after this last year."

"I do not jest." Varis protested, advancing on him. Well, she did not do so intentionally. Ander had ways of pulling it out her sometimes.

"You used to though. More often than you do now." Ander sighed, reminiscing as their fight went on. "Back before you had visions of leadership."

"Hardly."

"I suppose…you were a bit cold back then too. Leadership brought more of that out of you." Ander smirked again. "Somewhere in you is still a heart though…"

Did she have a heart? The ever- beating organ in her chest she definitely had. But the metaphorical soft and loving feelings that came with it? Well, those she had never been sure of. In her homeland love was not as open as it was elsewhere. Affections were very private ones.

She had so few friends. Never mind the dozen or so she had now, they were so new to her in the grand scheme of things. It was that absence of such a heart that made her unwanted as a companion by most. She was terrible at receiving affection and probably even worse at returning it. There had only been Ander, who was simply too outgoing and therefore able ignore that in her. He was in that respect, her only companion over the years.

If she had a heart to spend on anyone, it must have been him. He knew this too.

The fight dissolved as Ander lowered his blade and Varis quickly realised what was happening. Again, for the third bloody time…

"Don't surrender just like that." She prompted him to fight again.

"Varis, I know you have a heart in there somewhere still." He said. "I asked for it once, and you denied me. I fought for it the time that followed and you denied me again." He began to sink to his knees in the sand, showing a brief playful smirk.

"Get up." Varis insisted.

"Since neither of those were successful, the only thing I can do now is beg for it." He looked her, with a seriousness he did not often use, in the eye. "Marry me." He stated, quite simply.

"If you know anything about me, you know I would refuse anything from anyone who begs!" Varis snapped.

"Do you love me?"

"I won't marry you."

"Yes, that answer I understood, but do you love me?"

"Ander…" She groaned, nearly infuriated with him.

"Varis, answer the question."

"I don't know…" She was frustrated, and she could barely think when she was this frustrated. "You have always been kind to me."

"Kind?" Ander spit out the word. "You thought that was all I felt for you? A need to be kind? Probably out of pity no less…"

"Probably. I deserved no better, given how unmoving I am." She scowled.

"Undeserving? Look at what you've managed to do in the South."

"By being cold and void."

"You are not always so cold toward me. Sometimes we get along rather well. We fight and make peace and fight and make peace. I was simply thinking that we should marry so we could do that properly." He paused. "Is that why you refuse me? You think you're incapable of love?"

"I don't know what love feels like..." Varis replied.

"Hardly anyone knows how to describe it to begin with." He smiled. "What do you feel for me, if not love?"

"Acceptance." Varis answered. "There's really no need to act so bold or overbearing with you…I don't need to constantly impress you to have my leadership unquestioned."

"And?"

"And I don't feel that from anyone else."

"What if I left, forever?"

"Ander…"

"Just answer the question."

"I'd probably go looking for you."

"Why?"

"I need you. You're the only true friend I have always had." She stared at him. "I suppose, if that is not love, it's the closest thing I have ever felt to it."

"So you do love me." He smiled. Varis nodded.

"I still won't marry you."

Ander looked surprised. "Why not?" He demanded.

"Do I really need to explain everything?"

"I think I deserve some explanation, as I'm on my knees before you right now."

"I will not give up my leadership. I can't leave that to have a life with you in the North. Ander, you know this, I am the only one capable of ruling with any strategy or thought there. If I left, everything I worked for would be lost within a few days. There are Men in the southern lands…Men who allegiances shift with ease. I keep us isolated from them, but who is to say the new leader will?"

"Forget about them."

"I can't Ander, they're breeding war-beasts. Elephants…with plans to make them as big as mountains."

"Let them make a hundred Giant Elephants then." Ander protested. "It will be a world away in the North."

"I wish I could." She smiled, kneeling before him. "Now I believe I do love you. I care deeply for my homeland and you are making me question it. But no…I cannot leave it in that state. I can't have them passing my leadership to you, as you are a man, either. So I cannot marry you. "

She was surprised when he kissed her so suddenly. True, it hadn't been the first time he had done so, but previously it had been fleeting, and often meant as a joke. Now it was far more.

"Then I shall have to go to the South."

**Ahhh... l'amour. This update turned out being one that tied in a lot of the things from the epilogue in "Rue'.**


	12. Chapter 12 (New visitors)

**Ages:**

**Frerin- 5**

**Fien- almost 3.5**

**Gideon- 9 months**

**Kien- 3**

**Tauris- 3 months or so**

**Orian- almost 1**

I groaned to myself, feeling an odd, nearly painful, swat against my ribcage. I stared accusingly down at my stomach, which was round with child again. This one did love to kick. Almost too much.

So much was happening, both inside the mountain and out. The autumn leaves were falling, the mountain was in its usual rush to harvest, mine and prepare, and far down in the South, Ander had set up residence. I was in a way surprised by the development between him and Varis and in another way, I felt as though I had known it would happen all along.

Not to mention, I was pregnant again, which had the whole mountain excited again. They adored my children. Not to mention that among dwarves, given the few women in the race, children were considered rare blessings.

That being said, this was not the most expected pregnancy I had ever had. It was a surprise to find out that I was with child so soon after Gideon. He would only be a human year older than this new child. That was not to say I was not overjoyed to be expecting another little baby. Perhaps he (or she, I vaguely reminded myself) and Gideon would be close, in terms of friendship. That would be nice. Gideon was shy right now. His closest friends were his brothers , cousins and 'uncles'. While Fien and Frerin had been happy to smile and wave at people we met in the halls, Gideon ducked his face more often than not. The women thought it rather cute.

Naturally, with the pregnancy, visitors were a common occurrence at our household again. Dori's mother hen side came out when I was with child, and he regularly stopped by. Bombur noticed the increase in my appetite and started bringing the occasional plate of baked goods by. Thinking of this I realised I had been nibbling on a cookie from one such plate and mentally cursed myself for my cravings and for Bombur's fine baking. Good thing the boys helped me to eat them, otherwise I would grow as big as a cow.

There was a knock on the door, and Frerin rushed to answer it, seeing as I just seated myself down. "Hello Uncle Bofur!" He smiled.

"Uncle Bofur!" Fien erupted from the floor and raced to the doorway, realising who our visitor was.

"Hello!" The happy, ever optimistic voice of Bofur reached my ears.

"Bofur." I smiled from my seat.

"Milady." Bofur removed his hat.

"Please, don't be so extravagant." I replied with bright eyes. "What has brought you to our door?"

"It's not just him!" The smiling face of Gloin appeared. Then suddenly everyone's face was appearing. Dwalin, Balin, Ori, Nori, Dori…everyone from our old company.

Even Fili, Kili, and Thorin had come up from the offices. "Oh my…" I said. Everyone was smiling ear to ear. "What is the occasion?"

"It's a surprise!" Ori smirked.

"This will lift your spirits!" Bofur whooped.

"It is not really a 'what'…" Kili grinned.

"…but a 'who'." Fili finished.

"And who is this new visitor?" I asked.

Thorin was smiling as he stepped aside and revealed a short man with curly hair…and big feet.

"Bilbo!" I cried out.

"Milady." Bilbo made a small bow before me.

"You never bow to me, my friend." I got up from my seat in an instant and closed the gap between us, embracing him. It had been years since I had seen his face. Letters from him I had received…but to reach out and hug him…I starting to become misty eyed and blamed my pregnancy for such, even though I would have teared up, expecting a child or not.

"Oh dear." Bilbo smiled at the stray tears. "I certainly hope those are tears of joy." He took from his pocket a white handkerchief, bearing his initials in scarlet thread.

"Of course they are, you idiot!" I slapped him in the shoulder, laughing a little, and accepting the handkerchief to wipe away the tears. "Oh, it's been so long!"

"We are now reunited." Thorin said. "Or we soon will be. Master Gandalf just sent word he would be arriving this evening."

"Gandalf too?" I asked.

"Yes." Bilbo nodded. "Both of us."

"Why on earth have you come?" I asked.

"It's a bit of a funny story…" Bilbo chuckled around at all of us. "I was out on a pony-"

"Ha! You still remember all those riding lessons I gave you. Brilliant." I smiled.

"Yes." Bilbo nodded at my interruption. "…and I just kept riding and riding until I was out of the Shire and then I thought I might as well continue on, and here I am. I came across Gandalf at some inn in Bree. He said you would join us."

"Well, you are certainly welcome here." I smiled.

"Who are you?" Frerin asked of Bilbo, stepping forward in the fray.

"Oh!" I was still beaming. "I suppose some introductions are in order. These are mine and Fili's sons. This is-"

"Frerin." Bilbo nodded at the boy. He had received many a letter from me as well, and my children were often featured. Though he had not laid eyes on them before, he knew who fell into what age and their personalities. "Which means that must be Fien, and that little one must be Gideon."

"Yes." I nodded. "Boys, this is Master Baggins. Do you remember him from the stories?"

Fien's face was revealing his inner thought process as he tried to connect the name from the tales to this hobbit before him. Frerin remembered quickly. "He was the burglar!" He answered.

"I was." Bilbo confirmed.

"You don't look like a burglar." Fien said.

The whole company laughed, remembering Bilbo's various troubles before he finally managed to find his bearings in the wild. "Oh, but I am." Bilbo grinned. "Did your mother and father ever tell you of how I stole the King's Jewel? Right out from under the claws of a dragon?"

"They told us you did that." Frerin said. "But they don't know how you did it. They were in Laketown, at Lord Bard's."

"Because Uncle Kili and Amad were sick." Fien added.

"And Uncle Kili and Aunt Tauriel fell in love." Frerin finished.

More laughter followed his comment. Kili went to go fetch Tauriel and his children and Ori the same. Soon Bilbo had more children around his big feet than he probably ever had in his life. "Hello again." He grinned.

"So?" Fien asked, prompting him to something.

"So…?" Bilbo repeated the word, confused.

"How did you steal the Arkinstone-"

"Ark_en_stone, Fien." Thorin corrected him. He had thankfully never expressed a desire (mad or otherwise) for the lost stone since that day Bilbo had hidden it away for me as I recovered from the battle.

"How did you steal the Arkenstone from the dragon?" Fien repeated.

"I don't believe any of us have heard the whole story of that." Bofur said.

"No, I don't think we have." Bombur shook his head. "Have we?"

"No." Bifur shook his head, then continued in Khuzdul. In the last few years I had gained a survivable fluency of the language and Bifur, muddled axe-embedded brain and all, had managed to absorb a few common tongue words.

"Would you care to entertain us with the tale?" Fili asked Bilbo.

"A daring tale of courage and stealth and burglary." Kili smiled.

"Well…I suppose I could try to remember the details of it." Bilbo said. Everyone was looking at him expectantly. Bilbo cleared his throat, looking a little anxious. "I was wandering into the hall of-"

"That's not the way you start it." Frerin shook his head.

"Excuse me? I don't understand." Bilbo was confused again.

"Amad and Adad always say 'once upon a time' and then they start the story." Frerin informed him. Fien and Kien nodded their agreement.

"Oh yes, you're quite right." Bilbo corrected himself. He was rather loveable, and the children were already latching onto his every word. "Once upon a time…" He paused to receive a nod of acceptance from the young ones, which caused a few soft snickers at the idea of storytelling lessons. "I was wandering into the hall of the great treasure of Erebor. I had one purpose on the journey to reclaim this mountain, and that was to steal the Arkenstone from the dragon Smaug." He looked seriously at our children. "But you must never steal anything, even though I did, because stealing is quite frowned upon." They giggled at his feet.

"What happened next Bilbo?" I asked, getting him back to the tale.

"I was surrounded by gold. And every bit and piece of it looked just like the one before it. I was sure I was going to be buried underneath it all, because it just kept spilling and spilling with every step I took. And then I heard gold coins spilling, but I knew it wasn't my footsteps that had done so."

"It was Smog-" Kien said.

"Smaug." Kili and Tauriel gently corrected.

"-Smaug, wasn't it?" Kien finished.

"How did you ever guess?" Bofur asked, sounding surprised, even though such was a joke. We laughed again. Oh, it felt good to be all together and laughing again.

"Yes, it was Smaug. I froze where I stood, but it was no use, because all my searching had awoken him, so I had to hide. But he found me, and then-"

"How did he find you?" Frerin asked.

"Right, the details." Bilbo mused. "He smelled me and knew I was there, that's how he found me."

"Were you frightened?" Kien asked.

"You've got to be joking! It was a dragon for goodness-! I mean…" Bilbo coughed. "Perhaps I was a bit frightened."

"Oh how I tried to get myself out of that room then!" Bilbo continued. "But Smaug was fully awake, and he moved through the room with ease, much faster than I or anyone else could run. I tried to flatter him. I called him Smaug: the Great and Terrible. But that did not work. I was about to slip past him when suddenly I saw it. The Arkenstone, shining in a pile of gold." The children pressed closer to him, eager to hear more. "Suddenly Smaug's belly burned red and I knew he was about to unleash fire (the likes of which I could not imagine) upon me. I bolted toward the Arkenstone, as I tried to dodge his flames. The gold was spilling everywhere again and I lost it, and there I was under Smaug's mercy. I attempted flattery again, in vain, trying to riddle myself out of the hall. Then, there it was again. Lying but a few feet away from me. The Arkenstone had landed so close to me, it was almost unbelievable. It was like…like it wanted to be found, almost." Bilbo sighed. "Some things just want to be found…there they are, lying on the ground, at just the right place and just the right time."

"Master Baggins?" Thorin spoke up. "Is something troubling you?"

"Hmm?" Bilbo looked up from his reverie of the past. "Oh, no, no I'm alright. The story, yes, where was I?"

"You saw the Arkenstone again and Smaug had caught you." Frerin prompted him.

"Yes, I was cornered by Smaug. Now, I had heard terrible things about the multiple ways that a dragon could kill me. I could be cut to pieces by his claws." The boys eyes widened. "Or I could be eaten in one swallow." Wider still, their eyes grew. "Or I could be blasted into a little pile of ash by his fire."

"Oh no…" Fien said.

"My thoughts exactly." Bilbo nodded. "I was completely trapped. Nothing remained but to run and lose myself in the gold and hurry up the stairs and out of the mountain. I gathered every ounce of courage that a hobbit could muster, and ran as fast as I could, swooping down only to grab the Arkenstone. Smaug was so busy searching the piles of gold for me, that he did not even notice I was halfway up the stairs already. I was very lucky."

"You always did have incredible luck." I commented.

"How?" Kien asked.

"How what?" Bilbo addressed the dwelfling.

"How did he not see you?" Kien asked. "When you were escaping?"

"I suppose it was…was just a mixture of luck and…" Bilbo fumbled for an answer.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet." Another voice said from behind our door. "They can co unseen by most if they choose."

"Master Gandalf!" I rose to open the door and greet him. True enough, he was there, grey robes, pointed hat , long beard and all.

"Rue." He nodded down respectfully. "Your majesties." He glanced over at Thorin, Fili and Kili.

"Come in." I said. My children eyed him suspiciously. He was quite a lot taller than them, and must have resembled a giant to their minds. Gideon crept closer to Fili, and even Fien and Kien ducked more behind my skirt.

It took a moment for Gandalf to notice my extended stomach. "It appears some congratulations are in order." He smiled. Writing the wizard was difficult. Unlike Bilbo, who had his home at Bag End, Gandalf moved throughout Middle-earth. The best one could do was write a letter to him, addressed to the same place as his last correspondence, and hope he was still there, or that the people there would hold onto it for him until he returned. Either that or hand the handle to the strongest raven available and have it search some part of the countryside for him.

"Yes." I placed my palms over my stomach.

"Your fourth?" Gandalf asked.

"The fourth." I confirmed.

Frerin was the one who stepped bravely forward. "Hello, Mister Gandalf." He said, perhaps a little shyly, glancing way up to the wizard's face.

Gandalf knelt down to the child's level (or as close as he could get, anyway) and smiled kindly. "Hello, young Master…"

"Frerin."

"Ah, yes, Frerin, the eldest." He nodded.

"This one's Fien." I turned to reveal my middle son, who followed my actions to duck behind my skirt still. "And Gideon is the one with the dark hair, on Fili's knee."

"And the other one with the dark hair?" Gandalf tried to get a better glimpse of Kien behind me.

"That would be Kien." Kili got up and stood beside his son, who stayed close to his side. "Our newest son, Tauris, is sitting with his mother."

"Your families have grown significantly since I last saw you." Gandalf noted.

"Erebor has grown significantly as well." I smiled. "But I'll leave those stories for Thorin to tell. He's awfully proud of them, and what we have achieved in these last few years."

Gandalf was well met by all our old company. The children soon warmed up to him. Even Gideon, who surprisingly enough decided that he wanted to sit on the wizard's lap for the evening. The sun was just setting when we felt we had caught up with each other, our stomachs filled with good food that I had let them pillage (and I do not use the word lightly) from my pantry, and every story shared. It turned out Gandalf had been wandering Middle-earth not only for academic purposes but also to sell fireworks. I had laughed at the idea lightly, but everyone had to make their way somehow.

"So that is what you do when you are not saving kingdoms and going on quests." I chuckled. "You've made a hobby of selling fireworks for midsummer festivals and other such parties."

"It is rather enjoyable, after the questing is done." Gandalf nodded, quite seriously.

"I imagine." I nodded. "Villages must look forward-" I stopped abruptly, smelling something in the air. "Bofur!" I turned my head sharply. "How many times have I told you to _please_ not smoke your pipe in my home? I swear, it two days to get the smell of your pipe weed out of the sitting room the last time."

"Sorry, lass." He quickly extinguished the pipe. "Hold on, how come everyone else can?" He suddenly demanded.

"Because their pipe weed doesn't reek the way your's does." I answered.

"It's a high quality pipe weed…" Bofur grumbled a little.

"I heard so, but for the love of Mahal, could you smoke it somewhere else?" I asked. "Please?"

"Perhaps we should move our gathering outdoors." Gandalf suggested. "I brought a few of the fireworks for your children to enjoy."

"Oh, Gandalf you didn't need to bring them a-" I started.

"Can we see them Amad? Please? Please?" Fien begged.

I sighed. Fili laughed as Frerin asked him the same, also with a hardly contained excitement. "Alright." We both nodded at the same time.

As we migrated out of my home I heard Bilbo say "You'll take any chance to show off those fireworks of yours."

"Yes." He nodded. "But..." He whispered. "I also happen to have the same pipe weed as Master Bofur does. It's best I don't upset the hostess." I smirked.

Gandalf's fireworks, despite how I thought his selling of them hilariously charming, were quite remarkable. I had expected some colorful burst in the sky, but it soon became evident that there was enchantments on some of them. Some lasted far longer than ordinary fireworks, some changed color against the night sky, others formed pictures that moved.

"There are quite impressive." I complimented the wizard, who had a pipe in his mouth as he rummaged through a box of them.

"Now, this one will be a favorite of theirs." He nodded at the children. "Gather round!" He called. "These ones you can catch, and hold in your hands." The boys were curious of such a thing and came closer. When it was lit off it exploded into an array of little shining fireflies that whizzed off in different directions. The children tore after them. I laughed softly, seeing their fun.

Thorin and Gandalf were talking about the rebuilt city of Dale when the babe inside me kicked again, this time more softly. I stared at my stomach for another moment. Just a few more months. Then this child would be able to join us all.

"Is it kicking?" Bilbo noticed my actions.

"Yes." I answered. "This one has bruised me up quite a bit inside."

"Look Naneth!" Kien ran back to Tauriel, with one of the firework-flies in his hands. "I caught a star for you." He said when he arrived by her, passing it into her hands. Tauriel was quite touched by this. "See? Isn't it nice? I caught it by the old fallen- oh, it burnt out." Kien sighed as the firework faded.

"It was beautiful." Tauriel replied, drawing her child close.

I smiled at the two of them as the baby continued to kick. "Would you like to feel it kick?"

"Oh, well, that would be lovely but…" Bilbo began.

"Nonsense. Everyone has felt it kick by now. Old dwarrowdames come up and put their hands on my stomach in the halls all the time." I took his hand and placed it in the center of my stomach. Right on cue, the baby delivered a series of beatings to my abdomen. "Do you feel that?" I asked.

"Yes." Bilbo was grinning. "My goodness."

We stayed outside the mountain until our children laid down in the grass to see a few more of the colorful displays and began to fall asleep. By the time we arrived back home, I was happy and full and felt surrounded by loved ones.

And also quite pleased that the company had decided to wash all the dishes for me, because I was tired and we had used so many it would have taken me eight hours.

The baby kicked once more.

"Just a little while longer." I smiled.

**AN: Things will probably slow down once Fali is born, because then everyone will be here. With my family, it was like someone had a baby every 1.5 or 2 years so it's sort of funny how in my writing it's like someone has a child every 1.5 or 2 chapters. I laughed when I saw that. **


	13. Chapter 13 (The little princess)

**Ages:**

**Frerin: almost six**

**Fien: bit more than 3.5**

**Gideon: little over 1**

**Fali: Finally here**

**Kien: 3.5 about**

**Which makes Tauris: nine months and Orian: 1.4?**

There's a stage in pregnancy where movement just becomes so tiring, you wonder if getting up is even worth it. It was difficult to believe I had been filled with an uncanny amount of energy in earlier days. Now, I felt sluggish.

"Amad?" Fien spoke up.

Of course, it might have had something to do with the three children I already had.

"Yes?" I didn't bother opening my eyes as I sat in my chair.

"Are you sleeping?" He asked.

"Nearly." I breathed. I shifted in the chair. It was difficult to be comfortable when you were this pregnant, just when you thought you could move into a nicer position you realised your huge stomach was in the way. "Is something wrong, love?" I asked.

"No, not right now." He shook his head. They had both been very good the last few weeks, playing quietly to not put too much strain on me. It was a relief. When they were boisterous the loudness often woke Gideon a bit early from his nap. They fought on occasion as well, and this was tiring for me and caused Gideon some distress. The little boy did not like fighting.

Frerin and Fien continued to play their game on the floor. I would have fallen asleep, because Gideon was resting himself and this would probably be the best time for it, but for the life of me I could not make myself comfortable. So sleep remained distant.

I sighed heavily at the futile mission. "Are you alright Amad?" Frerin looked over his shoulder at me. Fili had told him to keep an eye on me, what with the date of the infant's birth drawing closer. According to Dis, I was 'carrying lower', so my family, the kingdom, and myself were all eager for the babe to arrive and for this pregnancy to end.

"I'm just a little sore." I nodded. "It's nothing."

Frerin nodded. "Alright." He returned to the game. "But you'll tell me if something is wrong, right? Because Adad said to keep an eye on you."

"I will." I promised. "I am only a little tired."

There was a knock on the door, and the boys answered it. "Hello, sister." Kili smiled.

"Kili." I nodded from my chair. "And Kien."

"Hello, Aunt." Kien waved.

"I'm taking him to the forge, I thought I'd take the boys with me. You could use the rest, by the looks of it."

Fien dashed over to me with begging eyes. "Amad can I please go with Kien and Uncle Kili? Please, please, please?"

"You may." I nodded.

"Thank you." Fien nodded, hurrying back to the door.

"What about you Frerin?" Kili asked his nephew. "Would you like to join us?"

Frerin shook his head. "No thank you." He replied. "Not today. I have to watch over Amad."

"You don't have to Frerin." I shook my head. "You can go the forge for a little while."

"Maybe next time." Frerin smiled, still refusing the invitation.

"Alright then." Kili said. "Next time." He looked over to me. "I'll see that he's delivered home in suitable time…and unburnt." He added with a wink.

"Thank you." I laughed softly.

After the door was closed Frerin came up and sat by me in the chair. I ran my fingers through his hair, lightly tracing the child's braid in it. I ran my fingers the opposite way. He still had a bit of a cowlick.

My first baby…I mused to myself.

Frerin placed his hand on my stomach. "Why is it not kicking anymore?" He asked.

"It's too big." I smiled. "It's taken up all the room there is in there and now it hasn't the space to bend its knees and kick."

"Will it be born soon?"

"I hope so." I sighed. "I can't sit on the floor with you anymore because it feels like I will not be able to rise from it again."

"You do look funny when you try to bend down." Frerin laughed.

"Well, I can't help it if this gets in the way." I patted my stomach, shifting again a little as I felt some discomfort in my back from my current sitting position.

"Do you think this one will have dark hair, like Gideon?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "There's no way of knowing until it's born."

"Can you still feel the baby?" Frerin asked curiously.

I nodded. "It doesn't move very much now. But I can feel the shape of it." Frerin raised an eyebrow a small degree, questioning what I meant. I took his hand and traced it over my stomach, as I had a few nights ago with Fili, to show him the same thing.

"Do you feel that?" I had asked, late in the night. "That long bump there?"

"Aye." Fili had nodded, tracing the mentioned spot. "Feels a bit like a rope or something."

"It should." I had smiled a little. "It's the baby's spine."

His eyes had widened an inkling at that. "That must mean this is his head." He trailed to where the spine ended into a soft knoll.

"I think so…" I had replied, applying my own hand over my abdomen to make sure. "Aye, it is his head." I had answered (it could also be her head, my subconscious mind had reminded me). "You can feel the feet way up here, so it must be."

Fili's fingers wandered up higher onto my stomach to where the tiny foot imprints were. We had stayed up a bit longer, tracing arms crossed over a little body and legs and a backside.

Now I showed the same to Frerin, who was also intrigued. "Wow…" He whispered. "You can feel everything."

"Yes." I nodded. "Neat, isn't it?" I shifted again, feeling a protest in my lower back. This chair was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Frerin soon got up from the seat to amuse himself and I stretched out a little. My back still ached. I shifted again and then felt an actual pain.

Which snapped my mind back to an alert state.

I waited for a moment, to see if I had simply overexerted some muscle or if this could be something else entirely. I was shocked when, and very soon too, another pain hit my stomach.

"Oh!" I gasped.

Frerin's head turned sharply. "Amad?" He asked.

"It's…I think it may be…" I breathed.

"Is it the baby?" Frerin asked.

"It could be." I nodded, continuing with measured breaths. "Come, we should get Gideon and then go to the midwife." I rose to do so, when another pain came.

I knew that my labours had shortened with each child, but this was certainly looking like it was going to be a quick one. I hissed, as I wandered down the hall and scooped up Gideon, who groggily woke, but was content and did not cry.

I began to walk back but there was yet another pain. Frerin looked at me as I walked down the hall. Eventually, I had to sit back in the chair in the sitting room to rest a bit. Gideon looked confused and a little troubled, but I smiled at him all the same, and this calmed him down. Now that I was in the chair and the pains were strong enough to be felt, and increasing, it was difficult for me to move. "Frerin, we have to go now…" I said. "Frerin?"

I looked around, but he was gone.

The front door was open.

/

Frerin had run out of the house when he realised how slow and difficult the process of walking was for his mother. He was rushing down the halls right now, straight for the midwife's. He had considered going to his grandmother's first, or down to the offices for his father, but he was a smart child and knew that the midwife would be the most helpful person, and therefore should be alerted first. He was racing in between dozens of other dwarves and they were a little surprised to see him out by himself so far from his home.

He finally reached the door, perhaps a little out of breath, and knocked furiously with his fist. He then waited, and it felt as though he was waiting for hours. He was worried over his mother, and the midwife was certainly taking her time in answering the door. Perhaps she hadn't heard him? He knocked again. If she didn't answer soon he'd run back down the halls for Oin.

Thankfully though, the door did open and the midwife looked down at him. "Hello." Frerin said, quickly in greeting. "It's Amad, she said she thinks-"

That was really all he needed to say before the midwife turned back into her home and began to pack up a few things into a bag. "I'll be right over at your home." She called over her shoulder. "Don't worry."

Frerin then dashed off to his grandmother's, and by the time he arrived at her door he was really and truly out of breath. He knocked on the door. His grandmother opened it, but he was too breathless to speak much. "What is it, Frerin?" Dis asked her grandson.

Frerin managed to cough out "Amad's going to have the baby now. I think."

"Oh!" His grandmother immediately left, taking him by the hand and asking questions. "Where is your Amad?"

"At home."

"What about your brothers?"

"Gideon is at home with her. Fien when to the forge with Kien and Uncle Kili."

"Good, good, one less thing to worry about." Dis hummed. "Oh, a midwife…" She began to turn in the direction for one.

"I already told her." Frerin said.

"You got the midwife? All by yourself?" Dis was surprised.

Frerin nodded. "Oh! I have to tell Adad!" He suddenly remembered and then he let go of his grandmother's hand and began running off toward the offices. He forgot to knock on the door that time and instead rushed into the busy atmosphere. The pages and other dwarves were used to seeing him there, he often spent an afternoon with his father and uncles, helping them work. What they were not used to was him being in such a rush, so when he bolted past them, they often dropped papers or nearly tripped.

Thorin was giving some informal council or other, mostly to a few scribes, but his father was present as well. Frerin broke into the circle, and was immediately noticed. "Frerin? What are you doing down here?" His father questioned.

"You said to look after Amad, and I did." Frerin replied. "She couldn't walk very fast so I ran and told the midwife, and then I got Grandmother. Now I have to get you."

"She's having the child?" Fili asked, kneeling a little to look Frerin in the face.

"I think so." Frerin nodded.

"You better be off then." One of the pages said.

"Indeed." Fili nodded back. "Come on Frerin, we better hurry."

The two left the offices and walked hurriedly back home. His father asked many the same questions that Dis had, and was equally relieved to find out that Fien was being taken care of. Fili was also surprised to find out he son (who was still fairly young) had thought to run off for the needed individuals himself.

"That was smart of you." He said to Frerin, as they neared home. "Well done."

Frerin was beaming when they arrived back at their home to find Aunt Tauriel, Grandmother and the midwife already present. He was also smiling because everyone was so proud of him for what he'd done. His father collected Gideon to take him off their hands and they wandered out to one of the nearby halls to sit and wait again. Gideon would sometimes crawl around a bit, then sit nicely at their father's feet.

Frerin smiled up at his father again, feeling his pride still. Fili smirked, and ruffled his hair, making that small stubborn cowlick surface up again. "Well done." He said once more.

/

Obviously, my initial thought that this would be a quick labour was well founded. The pains did not get much worse, and in a neat and easy two hours the child was wailing and the midwife was congratulating me. I sighed out a small breath of relief. "Now, how come they all couldn't have been born like that?" I asked.

Dis laughed. "Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

I smiled down at the child that the midwife was hurriedly cleaning off for me and swaddling. "It's a girl this time." She grinned up from her work.

Something in my mind shorted out at that statement.

"What?" I asked, sounding surprisingly confused.

"A girl." The midwife repeated, finishing up and passing the infant to me.

I reached out and took him…her, I meant her…in my arms.

"A girl?" I was still oddly confused by this. Dwarves usually had daughters in one of three births…I had four children, having a girl at this point made sense. I looked down at her face, the sweet, soft baby features. I still couldn't process the thought that I was holding a baby girl, and untucked part of the blankets to quickly make sure. But there was no mistake.

A girl. My daughter.

I held her close and pressed a kiss to her little head. Her eyes were already wide open, proudly Durin blue eyes. Her hair was the same shade of blond as Fili's. Mahal and Navestal, she was beautiful.

"I always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter…" Dis mused. "You're a lucky mother to have both sons and daughters. Plenty of women under this mountain don't know that feeling."

"A girl." I sighed again. Was this how my mother had felt when she had me after so many boys? Excited and in love with the new baby, but feeling oddly surreal about the whole thing?

"Shall I go and retrieve Fili?" Tauriel asked.

"Oh, yes, please go." I nodded. "Could you please not tell him it's a girl? I think I'd like to be the one who reveals that secret to him."

"I'd dare not rob you of it." Tauriel smiled, and exited to go and fetch him.

"My goodness, Dis." I said. "Baby girls are so…so…"

"Sweet?" Dis suggested.

"Oh, isn't she?" I gushed. "She's so beautiful, just like the rest of them."

"Aye, like a doll." Dis nodded, a twinkle in her eye. "Oh, we're going to have to watch out for this one. I was a princess too, and believe me, it is going to take every ounce of will power not to spoil her."

"It used to take me all my will power not to spoil the boys." I smiled. "I've had my training."

We laughed together and Fili then opened the door, Gideon in the crook of his arm and Frerin and Fien by his side. Fili did not even have to remind Frerin to give me a kiss, as he jumped onto the bed and pressed his lips against my cheek. A small swat on the back was all it took for Fien to do the same. I noticed he had a small smudge of dirt on his nose from the forge. Gideon started to make noisy demands to be put down and Fili held him closer to my face so I could receive a kiss from him as well, before plopping the tot down by me.

The new baby became the center of their attention. "I finished this!" Fien showed me yet another pendant.

"So you did." I smiled. "What do you think of the new baby?"

"It's nice." Fien nodded. Good, no distaste, as there had been with Gideon.

"It looks like Adad." Frerin observed.

"The poor thing…" Kili joked from within the sitting room down our hall.

"Kili!" I snapped, but I smirked at it too. I eventually passed the little girl to Fili.

"What shall we call this one?" He asked, taking her in his arms.

"Fali." I answered, with a smile. It was one of the very few girl's names we had agreed on.

"Fali." Fili agreed with a nod. I waited a few seconds for it to sink in for him. It did and he looked up at me with the same amount of surprise I had experienced a few minutes ago. "Fali?!" He replied.

"It'll be a lovely name." I grinned. "Don't you think so?"

Fili was studying her features then, taking in the blue eyes and soft hair. It was long for a baby already. Indeed, the features were a bit more feminine, even though she had just been born. He shifted her some, supporting her head a little more as she squirmed. "It will be perfect." He smiled.

"Isn't that a girl's name?" Fien asked.

"That's because it is a girl Fien." Frerin said, catching on. "Obviously."

Fien looked at the baby again. Her eyes glanced over at him and they stared at each other for a long moment. "Oh." He said. "I guess it is a girl."

"Your little sister." I added.

Gideon was in a generous mood and kissed his little sister on her head. He smiled at his actions. Fili had to grab at Fali's tiny hand though as it tried to take a handful of Gideon's dark hair.

"What are we going to do with a girl?" Fien asked.

"Everything we did with you boys. It's all the same really." I nodded.

"So…we can play with her?" Fien asked, as if trying to make sure.

I laughed. "Yes, darling, as soon as she's a bit older you can play with her."

"Her?!" The word was echoed from inside the hallway. It was the voices of the company.

"You can come in." I called, taking Fali back from her father. "It's alright, I'm decent again."

"I thought I heard you say 'her'." Gloin was standing in the doorway.

"She did." Kili replied. "Rue had a little girl. Tauriel told me already."

"Oh, and she's beautiful!" Hana burst forth, pushing her way past dwarves. She smiled down at Fali and then apologetically at me. "I'm sorry I didn't come. It all happened so fast."

The company had come shortly after the births of my other children, bringing well wishes and such, but now they all stood back, eyeing the bundle suspiciously. "Aren't you coming to welcome her to the world, like you did the others?" I asked. Slowly they came forward.

Balin was the only one who wasn't acting as though I was holding some strange creature in my arms, instead of a baby girl. He beamed down at Fali. "Congratulations. She'll be right beauty, I imagine."

Fali squirmed again and began to make vocal protests to her swaddling blankets. "Ha, a demanding little thing too." Balin added.

"Thank you Balin." I nodded.

"Well?" Balin turned to his friends. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"It's just a bit of shock, that's all." Nori said.

"The Durin's have been having nothing but boys, we can't help it if this is a surprise." Bofur replied.

"Do you not like her?" I asked, rhetorically of course.

However, the response I got was a serenade of 'no's. Perhaps they had taken me seriously.

"Of course we like her!"

"She's as good as any son of Durin."

"The mountain needs a princess too."

"We'll train her like she's one of the boys…right, lads?"

"Right!"

I was laughing. They really had no experience with little girls it seemed. I could already see comical visions in my head of Dwalin explaining defensive moves to a girl no taller than his knee. It was simply too funny to imagine some of the warriors and miners, tinkers and toymaker working with a tiny girl or playing with her as they had my sons.

Clearly, having a little princess was going to be learning process for us all.

To put it in terms of Fien's question: what were we going to do with her?

**Yay! Finally everyone's been born (except Vesper) but still everyone in Erebor. Goal 1 complete. **


	14. Chapter 14 (Living with a girl)

**Frerin: almost six**

**Fien: bit more than 3.5**

**Gideon: little over 1**

**Fali: a month**

**Kien: 3.5 **

**Tauris: ten months **

** Orian: 1.5**

They really had no idea what to do with me when I was born.

Mother was used to having boys. Brothers and sons and manly men who went on quests to kill dragons and reclaim mountain kingdoms.

I was no brother, son, or masculine warrior. I was just a little girl.

I like to think they did fine with me. They loved me, of course. Mother knew how to take care of a baby. But the predicament of how one raises a girl, versus how one raises a boy, was a matter they often thought about. Everything about me was new. I was considered more delicate, I had my own room, my clothes were different (I still laugh over a certain story involving my dresses, poor Gideon) I'm sure if I hadn't been a princess, things like that would have mattered less.

They still would have mattered to them, I think, but probably not for a whole mountain.

I was a princess, so I had to grow up to be a proper lady. Not all the time, Mother and Father let me be young and live and tail after my brothers as I wanted to (especially Father, he loved all my brothers and I, but I always knew there was secret place in his heart for me. Every Father has a place like that for their little girl), but I still needed to know how to carry myself and behave correctly. I was a princess. I would have an important role in ruling my kingdom.

But concerns over me walking with good posture and using the right fork…I never could get that right, and the table manners my 'uncles' introduced me to were not helpful… and minding my tongue (do not even ask how I fared in that regard, it became clear when I was young that I was inheriting my mother's temper) were not their concerns in the beginning. In the beginning, they were just learning to live with a little girl.

/

"Do you want to hold her Fien?" I held out Fali a little.

Fien shook his head vigorously. "No!" He replied. "I can't."

"Why not?" I asked. "You held Gideon when he was a baby, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I might drop her." Fien said. "And then she'll go…" He gestured now. "Splat!" He said a degree louder, miming what looked like the dropping of an egg to me. "…right on the floor,"

"Oh dear." I said, with an amused smile. "You didn't drop Gideon."

"It was different."

"Because he was a boy?"

"Yes." Fien answered.

"Well, I don't see how that would make much difference."

"It just does." Fien shrugged.

I turned to Gideon. He seemed to be the most attached to Fali. "Who is this?" I asked, prompting him to speak.

"Fali." He said, slowly and quietly.

"Yes, Very good." I smiled.

There was a knock at the door. What was it about babies that brought visitors?

I got up and answered it. "Tauriel." I nodded with a bright smile. "It's nice to see you."

Tauris smiled and waved at me before burying his face into his mother's neck. "Hello Tauris." I grinned.

"We came to see Fali." Kien said. "And Naneth said we had to bring this." He held up a pie, like we had years ago when he had been born. "But don't tell Adad because he wanted pie and this is the last one."

I laughed. "Then come in." I said.

Fali's cousins looked down at her. They were also intrigued by having a girl in their family. "How has she been doing?" Tauriel asked.

"Fine." I answered. "She sleeps as well as Frerin did. She doesn't fuss too much. Right now she's just a sweet, cuddly little thing."

Fali, being a little tired, began to fuss then. "Of course, she has her moments." I added, rocking and soothing her effectively.

Gideon then began to hobble around the sitting room, clinging to the sides of tables and chairs. I held his hand as he wandered around, growing more stable. "You certainly have your hands full." Tauriel noted, with a smile.

"I don't know how my mother ever managed twice as many." I replied. "It's only busy right now because their all so young, especially Fali and Gideon. Four is plenty for us."

"How are the boys liking her?" Tauriel asked.

"They are quite fond of her." I answered. "But they often refrain from holding her…Fien's afraid he'll break her. She's a strong little girl though. They think she's too delicate to be touched, despite that."

"Do you think they'll change their minds?"

"Definitely. She chases them with her eyes, give her time and she'll be chasing them in reality. I think she'll follow them like a puppy. She'll be joining them in their training, and maybe she'll follow Fien to the forge, and Frerin to the offices and Gideon to wherever he would like to wander when his walking improves even more." I smiled down at Gideon, who returned the grin. Oh, I loved those dimples! "How is Tauris?"

"He's not walking yet, but he follows Kien everywhere. Kien taught him how to hide."

"Oh dear." I chuckled.

"Yes, but they often hide together and Tauris likes to come out whenever someone enters the room." She smirked. "It's quite funny actually…you walk into a room you thought was empty and then he rolls out from somewhere."

Fali at that moment began to fuss again. "Oh dear…" I said.

"Have we come at a bad time?"

"No, not really. She always gets a little moody when she's tired." I explained. "I think I'll put her to sleep soon." I looked over my shoulder at Fien. "Fien, would you be so kind as to get a blanket for Fali? We'll see if she will sleep in her basket."

"Alright." Fien nodded, heading off to Fali's room, which used to be his. That was another way that having a girl had changed us. Fien and Frerin now shared a room. That had taken some getting used to, but they were now able to live in a (more or less) civilised manner, sharing the space and their things nicely. Any fight that broke out was quickly ended now, simply by me knocking upon the door and inquiring as to what was going on inside. They would fall silent and a single reply "Nothing" would come from the both of them.

The older boys were now quieter, at least while Fali was sleeping, they made no promises when she was awake. They tried to get into less trouble too. For Frerin that was easy.

For Fien, not so much.

Little did I know, I was going to have received an example of that promptly.

/

"This used to be your room, right?" Kien poked his head into the doorway.

"Yes." Fien nodded. "But it's Fali's now. She's a girl, so she gets to have her own room."

"Why?"

"Just because she's a girl." Fien nodded. "Amad says she'll need her own room more when she's older, so she can hide from us when she's angry."

Kien laughed.

"Adad says we'll need it to save ourselves from Fali when she's angry."

Kien laughed harder.

"Fali's lucky." Fien continued. "Because she'll always get new things, because she's a gir,l so she can't wear our old tunics. She has dresses instead." He nodded across the room at the drawer that held them.

Fien grabbed Fali's blanket and went to bring it to his mother. He had to step over Tauris who had wandered down the hall to follow his brother.

"Here Amad."

"Thank you." His mother took the blanket and wrapped Fali up in it, warm and snug, so she wouldn't wriggle out of it. Fien left to go see what was occupying his cousin. As he walked down the hall he heard a faint snickering that was becoming louder. Kien was laughing at something.

"Kien…?" Fien asked, coming into Fali's bedroom again. "What's so funny?"

Kien was laughing, with his hands over his mouth to muffle the sound. "Look at Tauris." He snickered.

Fien looked past Kien to his red-headed cousin. While he had been delivering the blanket, Kien had taken one of Fali's dresses (the bigger ones for when she was older) and put it on his little brother. Fien burst into laughter and had to plaster both his hands over his own mouth. Tauris looked hilarious in a dress, and the confused look on his face made it all the more funny.

Fien was suddenly glad they had a little sister, otherwise they'd have never had known how funny this was.

He suddenly got a rather devilish idea and peered out into the hall. "Gideon…?" He called, softly. His own little brother appeared and stared down the hallway at him. "Come here." Fien smiled. Gideon listened, not knowing the intentions of his older brother, padding softly down the hall. Fien ducked back inside. "Grab a dress." He giggled to Kien. "One big enough for Gideon." A green frock was selected for the poor, unsuspecting toddler. The two tricksters waiting by the doorway for Gideon.

When he finally made it to the doorway he was grabbed and pulled inside, whereupon his tunic was pulled off and his sister's future dress was put on. Gideon did not like being put in a dress. He may have been little, but he still knew that dresses were for girls. Nor did appreciate being tricked and tackled by his brother and cousin.

But his resistance was weak and so the boy's clothes were taken off and a dress was put in their place.

Fien and Kien were now practically rolling on the floor with laughter, that just barely remained silenced. Tauris was still confused as to what was happening and remained sitting on the floor, staring curiously around. Poor Gideon, on the other hand, was trying ardently to remove the dress. Unfortunately, the buttons that held it up were located at the back, so it was impossible for him to remove it himself. This led to him turning around in a number of circles in attempt to undo them, which made him dizzy and he fell down.

The boys laughed even harder at him.

"Gideon looks like a girl!" Fien giggled.

Gideon didn't like that either. The laughter, or the being compared to a girl. He got himself up and began to hobble down the hall to his mother, so she could undo the buttons of the dress. Anything to get out of the dress.

"Gideon, no! Don't go out!" Fien hissed, scrambling up as well. He suddenly did not want his mother to see what he had done to Gideon, especially since the little boy was upset by having to wear a dress.

But it was already too late for that. Gideon walked out, head low with his embarrassment, dress and all, and stepped over to their mother. Fien had just enough time to gulp as Gideon tugged on their mother's skirt.

There was a 'Yes, darling?' from their mother.

There was a gasp.

There was another sound of surprise from Aunt Tauriel.

There was a 'Hold Fali for a moment, please'.

Finally, there was a very cross 'Fien!'.

He remained silent. Kien gave him a look full of pity.

/

I hadn't known what to expect when I turned around. But Gideon in a dress was not one of the things I had in mind. I was shocked and so was Tauriel when she noticed. Poor Gideon. He looked so embarrassed, even for a young child. What on earth had happened?

No, not what happened…who happened, my mind sorted it all out.

"Hold Fali for a moment, please." I passed her to Tauriel, and knelt down to Gideon, turning him around and undoing the buttons for him.

"Fien!" I called sharply.

There was no reply.

"Fien, come out!" I called. "At once." I snapped.

Fien poked his head out of the hallway. "…Yes Amad?"

"Would you care to explain how Gideon ended in one of Fali's dresses?" I asked.

Fien stared at his feet. "He put it on himself." He lied quietly.

"Really? He doesn't look very happy in it." I pointed out. "And I'm sure it would have been very difficult for him to dress himself with the buttons at the back."

"Oh." Fien nodded, eyes still cast down to the floor.

"I want the truth Fien, and I would like it now."

"…I…I did it." He said so, so quietly.

"Well, that wasn't very nice of you!" I snapped. "In fact, it was downright mean!"

"I'm sorry Amad." Fien said.

"Don't apologize to me…" I replied. "Apologize to Gideon."

"Umm…"

"Apologize." I said, firmly.

Fien walked over to us. A string of quiet words were mumbled from his mouth.

"Louder please." I added. "We cannot hear you."

"I'm sorry I dressed you like a girl." Fien repeated. "I won't do it again."

"Thank you." I said. "Now, we are going to go and get Gideon's clothes back on him. Then, we are going to leave girls clothes for girls to wear."

"Kien!" Tauriel gasped, when we entered the room where Gideon's clothes had been left.

"I'm sorry too." Kien said. "I'll help him change back."

Tauris still looked confused.

Needless to say, however much Fien wanted his less than good behaviour to remain a secret, I still told Fili at the dinner table that night.

"You put your brother in a dress?" Fili asked.

"Yes, Adad." Fien admitted.

"Why?"

"I don't know." Fien mumbled. "Kien did it to Tauris and he looked funny. So I did it."

"Well, how would you like it if someone forced you to wear one of Fali's dresses?"

Fien looked at us with wide eyes. "You won't make me wear one, will you?! Not even as punishment?"

"No." We shook our heads. Fien looked incredibly relieved.

"But I hope you understand now how awful Gideon felt." I said.

"I said I was sorry!"

"Yes, but now you understand." I concluded. "Hopefully you've learned your lesson."

"Yes Amad."

Frerin looked up from his plate now, that conversation done. "Can I hold Fali after supper?"

I beamed, wonderfully happy now that he felt more comfortable holding her. "Of course." I answered. Frerin was seated on a chair by the hearth and I placed Fali, carefully, in his arms.

"I like holding her better than I did Fien or Gideon." He said. "Fien liked to grab at things, and Gideon always looked like he wanted to go back to you or Adad. Fali's just nice and snuggly." Indeed she was, she curled right up to your body and stayed there, looking wonderfully happy. Frerin was beginning to realise she wasn't as delicate as he had first thought.

"Aren't you scared you'll drop her?" Fien asked, coming a little closer.

"You can't really drop her." Frerin answered. "She doesn't move too much."

"Can I try?" Fien looked up at me. He hadn't held Fali since she was born. He hadn't trusted himself not to hurt her somehow. I placed Fien down next to Frerin and then moved Fali to him. Fili and I both watched as Fien first held rigidly to Fali, and then, slowly, loosened the strong hold. It took a while, but he eventually was holding her normally.

"See?" I said. "Nothing bad happened."

"Not yet." Fien added. "But if she moves I'll grab and hold her really tight again so doesn't fall onto the floor." I sighed internally, but it was an improvement all the same.

The boys were soon back at their games on the floor (and I noticed Fien was being especially nice to Gideon to make up for his previous treatment of him) and I left Fali with Fili for a few minutes to get a bit of work done. Fali was snuggled up on his chest, one of Fili's hand pressing her close there. His hands looked so big compared to her tiny size, they nearly covered her entire backside. She must have been quite comfortable there, her eyes were drifting closed. She fell asleep there, and Fili smirked when he realised she had, kissing the top of her head softly.

Gideon noticed that Fali had dosed off and smiled, gently (he was always so gentle) patting her head. Those two were going to be inseparable.

Yet another night with our little girl passed, and the boys were soon tucked in. It felt a little strange to me to wish Frerin good night and then turn around to find Fien in his bed behind me. Tonight there had been no arguments between them. Fien probably did not wish to be in trouble again. "Good night." I said to him. "What did we learn today?" I asked.

"Girl's clothes are for girls." Fien stated, yawning as he did so.

"Right." I nodded.

"Amad?" Fien whispered.

"Yes?"

"Despite that it was bad…did you think Gideon looked funny in a dress?"

I groaned. "Good night Fien." I ended the conversation.

"Good night Amad." They called after me as I left. I passed Gideon's room and peered inside to make sure he was asleep, and then dipped into Fali's room, just in time to see Fili laying her down.

"Good night, princess." He said fondly.

I smirked. "I knew it." I said, making him turn around and see me in the doorway. "You're in love with another woman." I replied jokingly.

He laughed softly at my remark. "We all have, I think."

"Yes, the boys are warming up to her more and more each day. Soon they won't be worried about that silly notion of breaking her into a million pieces." I sighed. "I hope we're doing things right. I've never thought about how to raise a girl."

"Well, she looks happy enough to me." Fili nodded at Fali in her cradle.

"She does." I agreed. "But it's easier when they're babies and all you really need to worry about is how much they're eating and sleeping. What happens when she grows a bit and starts following them? What if she wants to learn to fight or-"

"You don't want her to learn to fight?"

"Of course I do!" I replied. "I grew up loving it, and she'll probably be the same. It's what other people will think of it that I'm worried about. You can always say 'Boys will be boys' and then forgive them for the scrapes they get into. It's different with girls though. They're supposed to be more well-mannered and…dainty, I suppose. Playing in the dirt with boys isn't what people would expect of her."

"She'll be fine."

"You always say that about all of our children. How can you be so sure? It drives me crazy sometimes."

"I have faith that they'll find their way." Fili nodded. "Fali will find where she's meant to be, and if the mountain doesn't like she'll probably convince them otherwise. Besides…they love how you spar with me, they probably already think she'll learn the same…and clearly you've forgotten how many young dwarrowdames know how to wield an axe."

That relieved me. Yes, she would convince them of where she stood, wherever it would be. It was silly how much I worried about her. I didn't want to push her into being too much like a boy or too much like a girl. Somehow she would find where she was in that balance…and then we would learn not how to live with simply a girl, but with Fali.


	15. Chapter 15 (The first lesson)

**Frerin: 6**

**Fien: 4**

**Gideon: 1.5**

**Fali: 2.5 months? give or take**

**Orian: 1.8? give or take**

**which makes Kien: 3.8 ish and Tauris: 1**

**Vesper: foreshadowing**

"Amad, I'm fine." Frerin said to me, again.

"Of course you are." I said. "Just let me fix your braid."

Frerin sighed but stood still for me to rebraid the hair just behind his ear, taking a bite of toast. Across the table, Fien was moping. He did not like this day. I myself was excited but nervous. Frerin acted no different than he normally did.

Frerin was finally old enough to go to lessons.

How did he grow so much?

"Are you excited?" I asked.

"I guess so." He shrugged neutrally.

"I don't want Frerin to go." Fien said, crossing his arms.

"It's not for all day." I comforted Fien. "Adad will take him back here in time for lunch."

"I'll play with you later." Frerin promised.

"Lessons are going to be fun. Other children for you to be with and you'll be learning to read and write. It will be-"

"Fun. You said that a lot Amad."

"Does he have to go? Can't he wait a few months?"

"No Fien. The lessons start today." I answered, despite that I, for some reason, wished that could be the case as well. "They start soon too." I added, noticing the clock. "Finish your breakfast." I took Fali out of her basket and adjusted the laces on her little dress. The boys finished their breakfast and I hurried to get them in their shoes and out the door. Frerin probably knew the way to the little classroom, because it was just adjacent to the libraries, but I wanted to take him down myself and say goodbye. He made no objection to it, thank goodness.

"C'mon, we better hurry." I took Gideon's hand and held Fali in my arms. Fien walked beside me, and Frerin just ahead. People were already out and about, the early risers watching us parade (it looked like that now, what with five of us) down the halls. They were smiling at us, knowing that Frerin was old enough to begin his lessons and probably guessing where we were going. I couldn't help but notice some older children who were also walking toward the libraries, some with siblings, others rushing and meeting up with friends in the corridors.

"That will be you and Fien in a few more years." I pointed at a pair of boys.

"Me too?" Gideon asked.

"Yes, you too." I nodded down at him.

"Good morning Rue." Ori was walking between rooms in the libraries.

"Good morning Ori." I chimed.

"First day of lessons?" He asked.

"Yes." Frerin nodded. "Amad's nervous."

Ori laughed a little at me, good naturedly. "Just a little." I smiled sheepishly to myself.

We reached the room where a few other mothers and their children stood. The women looked at us, and their children peered curiously as well, surprised to see that their young prince would also be present. What on earth were we doing here? What we were thinking? Who's idea was this again?

My second guessing did not last long though. Frerin was quite confident. "I think I can go inside now." He said.

I nodded. "I think you're right." I knelt in front of him. "Be nice to your teacher. Try to make some friends." I smiled. "Can I give you a kiss goodbye or are you too old for that sort of thing now?"

Frerin locked his arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. I turned my head to return the gesture. Thank you, I thought to myself, for not growing up entirely. "I'll see you all later." He smiled. Then he walked in the doors by himself.

It felt odd to have three children in my presence when I had grown so used to four. For a moment I stood there like I had one of my limbs cut off (it felt like such), not knowing what to do. "Let's go home now, shall we?" I asked, taking Gideon's hand.

"I miss Frerin already." Fien sighed. Such a statement burrowed into my heart like a knife.

"He'll be back soon." I replied. Oh, Navestal and Mahal this was going to be the longest morning of my life.

"Rue!" Someone called me. It happened to be Hana, also in the libraries. She was beginning to work again. Having one child she was a little less busy than I, and could tend to Orian and go about her tasks at the same time.

Orian was starting to become a rather adorable child. Nori and Dori often teased Ori about how Orian had been lucky to receive so many of Hana's good features, and been spared of his average looks. His son had soft curls in his hair and blue eyes that were like his mother's. But the hair color and things like his mouth and nose had the same shape as Ori's. All in all, Orian was quite cute.

"Hana." I nodded at her, my hands full with children.

"What brings you here?"

"Lessons." I replied shortly.

"Oh, it must be for Frerin. I was wondering why he was not with you." Hana answered. "Would you like to come and sit in the libraries for a while?"

"That would be lovely." I quickly agreed.

"So…how do you feel?"

"Odd." I replied. "Partly relieved and partly sad."

"I imagine I'll feel the same when Orian's as old." Hana smiled back. "Will you say hello?" She encouraged Orian. The boy smiled at us and said, with a good amount of clarity, "Hello."

"Hello." Gideon waved at him in reply.

"He can be a little shy sometimes." Hana said of her child. "Like his father I suppose."

"Does he enjoy the library?" I asked.

"Yes, he does." Hana nodded. "I think it's meant to be. The child of a translator and a scribe."

I nodded. Orian did have the makings of a good scribe. He certainly had the right teachers for that sort of thing.

Teachers.

Frerin. Frerin in his lessons.

Why was I so easily reminded of this?

I sighed. I hoped he was doing alright.

/

Frerin did not know anyone in the room. He wasn't exactly afraid, but he did not feel very relaxed about the situation either. There was just a long bench to sit on with an equally long table in front of it and the other boys (there were five of them, and two girls) stood sporadically around the room. The two girls gravitated together, naturally, but the boys stared at each other, unsure of what to say or do.

Finally, the dwarf Frerin assumed was their teacher entered. He had a long beard, that was very, very grey. He looked nice enough.

"You can sit down, you know." The man said, nodding at the bench. They all hurried to the bench and sat down. Frerin sat down next to a boy that also had a braid in his hair. That meant his parents were important.

Well, everyone's parents were important, but his Adad was probably a captain or something.

"Hello." He tried to smile at the boy, but he found himself suddenly shy. He had planned to be more sociable this morning, but for some reason that was no longer working.

"Hello." The boy answered back with the same shyness, and if Frerin was to be honest, he could detect some relief that another person was talking to him. Frerin felt some relief too, since the boy had seemed so eager to respond.

They sat next to each other in silence for a moment, as the dwarf who would be their teacher rummaged through shelves. Some of the other children were quiet, others were whispering.

"What's your name?" The boy asked suddenly, a quick attempt to make friends.

"Frerin." Frerin answered.

"Are you the prince?"

Frerin hoped that wouldn't be a problem. He had become used to people watching his family in the halls and thought nothing of it, but now he wondered if his bloodline might seem intimidating to his fellow students. "Yes…" He admitted uneasily. For a brief second lying had been an option in his mind, but he knew his parents would not like that…and you couldn't hide something like the fact you were a prince.

"Oh." The boy replied.

"Who are you?" Frerin quickly asked.

"I'm Atticus." Was the reply.

"Hello."

"Hello."

The teacher finally finished his rummaging and turned to them with a bright smile. "Alright…shall we begin now?"

They all nodded their heads, still rendered fairly mute from the new surroundings

Frerin felt a little better, knowing the name of someone in the room though.

He sat and behaved as his mother had told him to and listened to the teacher as best he could. He had already began to learn bits and pieces of the lessons from his parents, so most of what the elderly dwarf was saying wasn't very new to him. But of course he still listened. He wanted the teacher to like him. Some of the other children looked bored, maybe because they already knew what the dwarf was talking about as well, and maybe because they were so used to just being children and not having to sit still for this long. Frerin supposed he was used to it, he helped in the offices with his father and uncle and great-uncle sometimes, so he knew how to sit still.

Fien would have trouble with this when it was his turn to start lessons. Kien may start with him, they were not too different in age. Frerin felt an odd sense of pity for the poor dwarf who would be teaching them. He hoped it wouldn't be this man, he seemed nice, and Fien and Kien were sure to cause some distraction.

He wondered briefly what his cousins were up to, and how his brothers and sister were as well. He hoped Fien wasn't being to grumpy for Amad. It was the first day with him at school, so he was bound to be a bit grumpy. But if he was distracted enough he wouldn't be so bad.

Amad looked like she would miss him while he was here. All the mothers had outside. They were used to have little ones at home. Some were sending of their first children, their middle ones, their youngest ones…but the mother's faces had all looked the same.

He didn't realise his mind had wandered until Atticus poked him in the shoulder.

Not a moment too soon either. The teacher was passing out little leather bound books, full of blank sheets of parchment. Frerin made sure to smile at the teacher and say 'Thank you'. With the book he also received a little sharpened stick of lead for writing. He noticed that the others had opened the book and started writing.

"Atticus…what are we doing?"

"Writing our names on the inside."

"Oh, I see."

Frerin couldn't spell many words yet, but he did know how to write his name. He drew the sharp edged symbols for the Khuzdul writing and the softer ones of the common tongue. With his signature complete, he admired his work. It looked rather neat and tidy to him at the moment.

It was…for a child. Later in that same year he would improve the neatness of his writing from all the practise he would be getting.

His mind didn't wander the rest of the day. The teacher shared a few humorous anecdotes from his youth (which Frerin guessed was a very long time ago) to aid in the first few lessons and it wasn't long before he waved his hand and dismissed them.

That meant he could leave now. Frerin gathered up the leather bound book and the lead he had been given, and raced out with the other children. Some had parents present, others had older siblings. Atticus ran other to a tall, broad shoulder man, with hair the same color as his. The man had quite a few braids in his hair and beard. He must have been his father.

Then Frerin noticed his own father, coming down the hall. He ran to him. "Hello Adad." He smiled.

"Frerin." His father smiled down at him. "How was the first day?"

"It was alright." Frerin nodded. "I got this book." He produced the volume in question.

"Yes…and did you meet anyone new?"

"I don't think he's a friend just yet, but I know his name."

"Well, that's a start isn't it?"

Frerin nodded. "Can we go home now? I'm hungry." It was surprising how much energy one used by just sitting and thinking.

"Of course." Fili nodded. "I'll take you back right now."

They walked down the hall and passed Atticus and his father. "Goodbye." Frerin nodded at Atticus.

"Goodbye." Atticus nodded back.

They had walked a few paces away from them, but Frerin was still able hear the man with multiple braids whispering to Atticus. "Was…was that the Prince and his son?!"

"Yes." Atticus replied. "Can we go home now? I'm hungry."

Ah, the minds of children.

/

It felt so odd to have only the three of them. Where on earth was Fili with our oldest son?! Surely the lessons were finished up by now. I had tried my best to ignore the missing presence of Frerin all morning. Hana had been most helpful with that by inviting me into the libraries for a little while. Her smile and chatter were welcome. Although, I had to truthfully admit that seeing Orian on her lap as she worked, as Frerin had been on mine when he was that small, was bittersweet.

Thank goodness Fali was still sleepy and enjoyed a good cuddle, because I really needed to hold something at that point. Something that needed me. Such was the price of motherhood I supposed. You couldn't help but get a little attached to the smiling young faces around you, and you completely forgot they were capable of growing up, so when a milestone like today's came around , it surprised you entirely and left you confused and concerned in its wake.

So there I sat, waiting for the seconds to go slowly by. Hana told me of her work in the library, her sweet home with Ori, her son's antics. I was surprised to learn also of a letter from Ander, saying he had a great surprise for his next visit. He did not share a single detail, which left me wondering what on earth it could be, but Hana said Ander's surprises were always joyous ones.

I did not wish to have Frerin thinking I sat in the library with his siblings all morning, waiting for his return, so I eventually had to pull us away from the bookshelves and back home. Fien enjoyed the morning about as well as I did. He missed Frerin terribly. Gideon made a good companion and played with him, but it wasn't the same. Eventually he sighed and sat by me. "If I promise never to fight with Frerin again…not once more…will he be able to stay home?"

Oh, poor Fien.

"I'm afraid not darling." I shook my head. "He has to learn to read and write."

"Can I go with him?"

"Not yet. You're too young, and I think you'd find lessons awfully boring."

He sighed. "Would you like a story?" I asked. "Adad and Frerin will be home soon, it will pass the time."

"Can I hear the one about the King of the elves?"

"You like that one a lot." I smiled. "Don't go telling your great-uncle Thorin that."

"Does he not like elves?"

"What has the story of the elf king told you?"

"He doesn't." Fien shook his head. "But he let Aunt Tauriel live here and marry Uncle Kili."

"He did." I agreed. "His mood toward them has improved greatly over the years."

The doorknob turned at that moment, and the story of how I met Thranduil was dissolved into nothing. Fien shot up and ran to the door, and pounced upon Frerin when he entered.

"Fien, I can't breathe, you're hugging me too tight!" Frerin wheezed.

"I missed you." Fien said. "It was boring without you."

Gideon joined the hug, not wanting to be left out, and petted Frerin's head sweetly.

"So, how was it?" I asked, catching Fili's smile at my relief to have Frerin back.

"It was nice."

"And your teacher?"

"He's nice."

"Did you make any friends?"

"Maybe. There's a boy who sits next to me. His name is Atticus. He seems-"

"Nice?"

Frerin nodded. "I think I'd like to be friends with him."

"Well, perhaps you'll talk with him again tomorrow."

"He has to go again tomorrow?!" Fien asked. "He has to go every day?"

"Not quite every day." I shook my head, and Fien relaxed. "And just in the morning for now."

Fali babbled as I held her against my shoulder. This caught the attention of her father. "Hello princess." He smiled. I handed her over to him as I quickly set to feeding a hungry Frerin, Fien and Gideon.

"Will you smile for me today?" Fili bounced her lightly in his arms. Fali's smile was the sweetest thing in the world. It even rivaled Gideon's at times. "Please, Fali?" Right on cue, the girl turned the corners of her mouth up and giggled. Fili was positively smitten with her. Of course, her brothers and I were falling just as quickly under her spell.

"What did Frerin say the name of that little boy was?" I asked ,as the boy ate. "I think I've heard of him before…or at least his father…"

"Probably his father." Fili nodded. "I recognized him. Arnan, he's a captain in our army. He used to live in the Iron Hills, Dain's domain." Fili nodded. "Fine warrior."

"Is that why Atticus has a braid too?" Frerin asked.

"Yes." Fili replied. "His son will probably follow in his footsteps."

"Like I will in yours?"

"The very same."

I smiled as I scooped up my daughter to go off and feed her as well. The son of a captain…we were lucky that Arnan's son and ours were so similar in age. I would have very few qualms about Frerin making friends with people who were, for lack of any better word, normal. But there were some things, particularly in the future, that Atticus and Frerin would be doing alongside one another. In short, I supposed Frerin would have more in common with, and be able to spend more time with in coming years, the son of a captain than the son of a baker.

Not that there was anything wrong with bakers in the least, I added internally, recalling Bombur fondly and how he had brought me all sorts of nice things when I was with child.

In the end, I didn't really care who Frerin befriended. So long as they were nice (everything at lessons seemed to fill this category, according to Frerin) and he actually did manage to make friends. Some people might find the title Frerin bore a little…overbearing.

So the first day of lessons had been successful. Frerin had behaved himself, enjoyed it well enough, and had the makings of a new friendship. I survived. Fien survived.

Now we just had to do this again tomorrow.

And the next day…

And the next…

Frerin, I decided, had grown far too fast.

**I wish I could say that I found the name Atticus from like greek mythology and he shares a name with some man who slayed a giant lion/cobra thing but...I got it from the character Atticus Finch...from To Kill a Mockingbird...who's a lawyer...**


	16. Chapter 16 (Potential)

**Frerin: 6**

**Fien: 4**

**Gideon: 1.6**

**Fali: 3.5 months**

**which makes Kien: 3.8 ish and Tauris: 1 and a bit and Orian: 1.8 range**

I never really knew my place during my childhood. Frerin knew where he fit. Fien knew where he fit. Fali had her difficulties, but she was so well liked I imagine she could have gone anywhere if she wanted it. I was none of that.

I realised at a young age my dwarven heritage. I saw my kin and it was like observing a strange new group of beings to me. Mother always said I was the most nymphian out of all of us. Fali had the looks of nymphs too, but her heart, her spirit, her mind (and her temper, I cannot forget to mention that, though I think parts of it were from Mother herself) were very, very much dwarvish.

I was not dwarvish.

I was _never_ dwarvish.

I may have tried, but I could not manage it for long.

I had wanted to be like them for a long time. I had wanted to wield an axe as impressively as my Uncle Dwalin could. I wanted to be as majestic as my great-Uncle. I wanted to be as wise as my Uncle Balin (may he rest peacefully, wherever he had fallen).

But I never could. Well, the wisdom I was closer too. I was quite bright in my lessons.

The problem of it all was that I was born different. I saw in my companions, and even in my partly elvish cousins, a strength or even stockiness that I did not process. They saw an opponent and ran to him, with sword raised. I stood still, ready to defend myself.

Sometimes I even ran away.

I had been born knowing how to be afraid. Most children are dense enough to think themselves invincible for their young years. No rock is too perilous to climb, no fight cannot be won, no adventure is too much.

I knew of peril. I understood the danger of a fight.

I was more peacekeeper than warrior, which made me a rare breed under the mountain.

I was no dwarf.

/

Gideon ran and hid behind my skirt. It really was the safest place to be at the moment. Frerin and Fien were running around at the speed of lightning and whacking playfully at one another with little wooden blades. "Easy! Be careful!" I reminded them. "We don't want anything to get knocked over and broken."

Fien listened, lessening the force of his blows a degree. He eyed over a corner of a table where there had once sat an oil lamp. A few weeks ago he had knocked it over in the middle of one such swordfight with Kien and glass had crashed everywhere and oil had spread all over the floor.

Children did wear out the furniture something terrible.

Gideon eyed the little battle cautiously from behind me.

"What's the matter, dearest?" I looked down at him.

Gideon looked back up at me with round, blue eyes and a tiny frown. It was as if to say 'Isn't it obvious? They're going to break something, and I don't want it to be me'.

The boys continued their attacks on each other, thankfully farther away from any breakable object. At last, Frerin won, managing to knock the toy sword out of his younger brother's hands.

"Awww…" Fien sighed.

"Better luck next time." Frerin said. "Do you want to try, Gideon?"

"No." Gideon shook his head.

"We won't fight as hard as Fien and I did." Frerin added. "I'll go easy on you."

"No." Gideon repeated.

"Are you sure?" Frerin held out a little wooden blade with open palms. "It's fun."

"No." Gideon replied, a little more strongly, ducking farther behind me.

"How come he hardly wants to play with the swords?" Fien asked.

"Sword fighting is simply not his forte." I said. "That's all."

"Do you think he'll be an archer? Like Kien?" Fien suggested.

"Kien's decided to be an archer?" Frerin asked.

"Yes." Fien nodded. "He wants to be like Uncle Kili and Aunt Tauriel."

"He's young, he may yet change his mind." I said. "Though the news wouldn't surprise me."

Fali started to make noise, having awoken. I walked over to the room, Gideon following me. "Hello, little girl." I smiled.

"Hello." Gideon whispered as well.

Fali raised her little arms, eager to be picked up and placed on the floor where she was most mobile. I did placed her down and she rolled and tumbled off toward the sound of Frerin and Fien at it again. She saw them, smiled and charged in their direction. Gideon was keeping a close eye on her and noticed her path of interest.

He shook his head at the growing spar between his older brothers and his little sister heading right for them and rushed over to Fali. "No, no, no!" He protested. When Fali kept crawling he sat down in front of her. This bothered her, and she whined as she tried to crawl around him.

"Fali, no!" Gideon pressed on. When words did not work he grabbed her and tried to pull her safely onto his lap. Fali did not like that very much either. She struggled but Gideon kept his hold on her tightly. Frein and Fien sparred on with their toy swords. Fali finally ran out of patience and began to cry at her restraints, in the usual broken sobs one heard from a child her size.

"Gideon…" I said, firmly, but not loudly. "Please let her go."

Gideon looked doubtful if such was a wise decision. Frerin and Fien had ceased fighting when they heard Fali crying. Gideon decided to let her go and she crawled away from him, gave him what truly resembled a glare, and then cried because all the fun had finished without her.

Gideon did not like it when people cried, least of all Fali. He sat beside her and petted her head and kissed her cheek, but she did not want to be near him. When he tried to soothe her again she swatted at him, and actually caught him across the face, and then fell over herself, due to her incoordination.

She hit her head on the floor, and this had larger streams of tears running down her face. I mentally sighed to myself. Her reactions could be as fierce and impromptu as Thorin's were when he was angry. Frerin lifted her up, trying to hold her against his shoulder as Fili and I did. "Amad…" He carried her to me.

I had my arms already open, taking Fali onto my knee and examining the little bump on her head. "You should be careful…" I softly chastised her. "It's not nice to hit." I judged it to be little more than a bruise and kissed the spot tenderly.

Fali sniffled a few more times, and then was quiet, hugging me close. Gideon padded over to my side and pulled on my sleeve. "Amad…" He whispered. I turned to him and examined his cheek. Fali had scratched him accidently. "Oh dear…" I murmured. I pressed a soft kiss against the thin red line. "Better?"

Gideon nodded. He gently touched the scratch on his face, and winced. I supposed he had a lower threshold of pain than his brothers did. Scrapes and bumps and bruises had rarely bothered them.

Fien sometimes came to me with a bloodied up knee and not so much as a frown, only wanting to have the injury cleaned and bandaged so his pants did not get any dirtier.

"Don't touch it, darling. It'll fix itself just fine." I said.

"Amad, when do you think Adad will take me down to the arena and teach me to sword fight?" Frerin asked.

"Soon." I answered absently, checking both Fali and Gideon again.

"It's just that there would be no way to break anything if we were fighting on a training ground." Frerin reasoned with me. "I'd like to learn, instead of just playing." He added, with a more serious tone.

I picked up the seriousness in his voice. "Why are you suddenly so interested?" I asked. He had brought up training before, but he had never sounded this eager to learn.

Frerin fidgeted a little, also uncommon behaviour for him. He did not often hide anything from us. "Well…" He said. His voice sounded as though I may not enjoy the answer.

"Frerin." I insisted for a reason.

"Atticus says his Adad is teaching him." Frerin admitted.

Ah. The whole thing made sense to me now. Obviously Atticus's father, being a captain, would start training his son at this age. His family was surrounded by swords and warriors probably. It was his environment.

"Now, you know that you can't simply have something because another boy has it." I reminded Frerin.

"I know." Frerin said. "But I just thought I should ask and see if I could…I'd like it if I could…"

I thought over the idea of it for a moment. How old had I been when I first had some formal training? I had been young for sure…but was I as young as Frerin? Fien would likely want to learn too if we started teaching his brother…was Fien old enough? Maybe for mock-lessons?

Perhaps I could persuade Dwalin to mind him while Frerin was learning. Or maybe Kili and Tauriel could watch over him. He wouldn't mind Frerin getting lessons and not himself so much if he got an afternoon with Kien out of it.

In the end of my thinking episode, I had been just about Frerin's age when I had my first lesson. Maybe a little older, but I could almost guarantee that I had not been as well behaved as Frerin had been.

"I don't see why you can't." I said.

Frerin's face lit up like a thousand candles. "Thank you!" He cried out, hardly refraining from bouncing up and down.

"What about me?! What about me, can I learn too?" Fien pleaded.

Fien, I had been more anxious, like Fien.

"Just a few little ones." I said. Simple lessons would have to suffice for him for the time being.

If Frerin's face had resembled to me a thousand candles, Fien's was a thousand of Gandalf's fireworks.

"I can't wait for Adad to come home." Frerin smiled.

"Who says we have to wait for him to come home?" I asked. "I can begin to teach you, if you want."

"Yes." Frerin nodded vigorously. Somehow I knew Atticus would be getting a detailed report of this afternoon at the next lesson.

We were soon out to the training grounds. I had changed into a pair of pants and a tunic, finding these the best to spar in. I had Frerin and Fien (who would probably be joining today no matter what I said) dress in similar attire. The boys stared with wide eyes as some of the grounds. Men, some old warriors going through familiar drills, some friends sparring, and some young men learning the trade were already present.

Gideon stared as well, but he did not appear as excited.

I lead my children down to a small, more private, section of the grounds.

"Alright." I nodded. I placed Fali on a few blankets by a bench, and seated Gideon beside her. "Will you keep an eye on her?" I asked.

"Yes, Amad." Gideon said quietly.

"If she does anything or you need me just call me over." I smiled. "Thank you, Gideon."

I left him sitting with his sister and went to an anxious Frerin and Fien. "Take these." I handed them the smallest wooden blades I could find. "Show how you hold them?"

Fien gripped his immediately, and took a swing at the air in front of him. I caught the blade mid-swing with my hand. "Not yet." I said. "The basics first. I'll let your father teach you the more interesting things."

Frerin took his blade more gently, and held fast to it. "Not too tightly." I said. "You don't want your hand to get tired of grasping it."

"Like this?"

"Yes, quite a bit better."

"What about me?" Fien asked.

"You're doing fine." I assured him. "Now, you should be holding it in front of you like this." I showed them a basic defensive stance. "That way when someone tries to strike you, you're blocking them."

Frerin held the stance and then Fien knocked his sword against his. "Fien!" Frerin protested.

"I just wanted to see if it worked." Fien explained.

"Well, now you know it does." I told him. "Show me that you can hold it the same way." Fien did so, and actually quite well. I tapped my fist against his training blade, just to make sure.

"Well done." I concluded.

"When can we learn to fight like you and Adad do?" Fien asked.

Naturally, Fien was the one with the broad eyes. "You won't learn to 'fight' for a long time." I said. "For now, the basics."

"And then?"

"Then, how to defend yourself."

"Oh." He sounded mildly disappointed.

"You have to learn defensive moves first. Blocking attacks is more important than trying to make them sometimes."

"Defense against what?"

"Anything trying to hurt you, I suppose." I said. "Like another person if you're sparring or maybe-"

"A wolf?" He suggested.

"I don't think there are any wolves inside the mountain." Frerin said.

"Well, a wolf could get in…maybe….right Amad?"

"It's a possibility." I replied.

"Wolf?" Gideon asked from the bench, sounding uneasy.

"There are no wolves in Erebor right now, darling." I assured him.

"If there are any wolves Adad and Uncle Kili and great-Uncle Thorin will get them." Frerin added, for Gideon's sake.

"I'm sure they would." I nodded. "Now enough about wolves. Try to block my hand, alright? Use that stance, and move it as you need. Watch closely. Try to figure out where I'll be attacking."

I knocked my fist at the area just a little bit above Frerin's blade, encouraging him to raise his blade a degree to block me. He did. I continued this little onslaught, tapping my fist lightly in different spots. Frerin had to move the stance up and down to effectively block me, and he was learning how to read his opponent. After a few minutes, I switched over to Fien, who was trying his best to be patient. He did fairly well, only twice judging me wrong and missing me. They rather liked the little game.

"Do you want to try Gideon?" I asked. Naturally with him being still so little I would go slower and softer, the game more for fun than for actual training. Gideon shook his head. "Are you sure?" I continued.

"It's fun Gideon." Frerin promised. "It isn't scary. Amad's definitely not going to hurt you."

"No." Gideon answered. He was happy just to sit and watch for now.

I continued playing with Frerin and Fien. Part of the way through Fali became bored and I had to teach the boys the proper stance for blocking attacks from the left or right with her on my hip. She did like being in the middle of all the action. Gideon simply watched. I couldn't help but notice in his quiet observational corner he was absorbing the information as well as his older brothers. He was also watching me carefully, his eyes trying to read me.

There was some potential for him. I did not doubt it. He would be ready when he started training, in his own time.

"I think that's enough for today." I said, at last. "Maybe next time your Adad will come and teach you."

"I can't wait to show Uncle Gloin." Fien quipped. "He taught Gimli how to fight with an axe, and maybe he'll teach me too."

"We shall see." I responded. An axe? I had yet to fight with one of those. If Fien decided that would be a weapon he would train with he'd have to have lessons from Fili. I was only good with a sword, and still passable at archery, though nowhere near as good as Kili or Tauriel. Kili tried to teach me, but I never improved much past a certain point, and he still teased me over the lessons.

"Thank you, Amad." Frerin said, putting away the training blade I had given him.

Fien was prompted to remember his manners by this and quickly added "Thank you." He then restored the blade he had used to the proper shelf.

Fali babbled on my hip, keen to reach out and touch the wooden weapons. I was reminded of something Fili had once said. That Fali resembled him in looks, but she had every making of being like me. So far, the similarities in our childhood seemed abundant. A pack of older brothers. An interest in fighting with them (all for fun and sport of course, never harm). Racing to keep up with them and be in the center of everything busy.

I returned to Gideon, who picked up a training blade that had fallen to the floor. He held it for only a few seconds. But he held it near perfectly and just as I had shown the boys earlier. When he had placed it on the shelf I knelt down to him. "Well done." I smiled.

He beamed back at me, very happy and proud of himself.

He had such potential, just as Fili had promised me he would. It was his fear that held him at bay from it. Of course, I did not want to worry myself over matters like that. Gideon was young still. Training was years away. For now, he had plenty of time to grow used to the idea of sparring and explore his other talents. I had fears as well when I was little. But with time they had faded. Surely the same would happen with him, and until then I would love and care for his gentle soul.

"Amad?"

"Yes, Fien?" I turned my attention to him as we walked back.

"I just thought of something. There are wolves outside the mountain and in the valley, so it's possible…more possible than here in the mountain…to meet a very angry, hungry wolf when we're hunting. So that's why it's important to learn the defense stances first. Yes?"

I smirked. "I do believe you're right."

/

I may not have been the bravest ever. Or the strongest. Or the best of anything one associated with being a proud dwarf.

I was 'the gentle one' as my mother fondly called me, though she refrained from saying so in public at my request. But one look at my uncles…my loud, boisterous, head strong (though you cannot forget to add loyal and loveable into their description as well) uncles…told me that adjectives like 'gentle' and 'quiet' were not often used to describe the average dwarf.

So I was different from them. My destiny was to be a different one, as Vesper said. She said it may even be better. She appreciated my difference, though maybe she had just grown tired of the seemingly wild natures of the young men in the South. My family agreed with her, and encouraged me to pursue whatever I saw fit for myself. For that I would be always grateful.

I may not have been a dwarf.

But I had some potential.

There had to be somewhere where I fit.


	17. Chapter 17 (Vesper arrives)

**Ages-**

**Frerin: 6**

**Fien: 4**

**Gideon: almost 2**

**Fali: 5 months**

**Kien: 4**

**Tauris: 1.5**

**Orian: 2**

"Well, he should be arriving any minute now." Hana smiled, waiting for me to prepare my own children. She spoke of her brother, Ander, who was coming for yet another visit to Erebor. He was quite regular with his visitations, I could not remember a year in which he did not come at least once. At this rate, we might as well have given him the title of a nymphian ambassador.

Orian was all sitting as still as he could. He loved his uncle greatly, and was having a little trouble waiting nice and patiently for him to arrive. My children loved him greatly, and were rushing to get down to the main entrance as well. It was impossible for them not to love Ander, he was simply too outgoing and made it a goal to be everyone's friend.

Speaking of friends, another one would be coming with him, as she normally did now. Varis was being expected by us as well. They had not been to Erebor for a full year, circumstances with Ander's change of homelands being a bit too busy to allow it. Now they finally had the time for such again. Now we could finally learn of that great surprise Ander teased us with endlessly in his letters to his sister. I had made valiant attempts to guess, alongside Hana, but Ander refused to let even the smallest detail surface. It had driven us both mad.

Now we were about fifteen minutes away from having the secret finally revealed to us.

"Oh Fali…" I sighed, prying her little fingers away from the laces on her dress. She had a habit of playing with them and making a dozen knots. I straightened them out again for her. "Are we finished?" I asked my other children.

"Almost." Frerin was braiding, slowly and carefully, Fien's little braid. "When I'm done we can go."

"I hope he'll tell us what his big secret is right away." Hana said. "He's been dancing around it for months now, and if he doesn't come out with it soon I'll burst."

I laughed at her lightly, gathering my young ones.

"He was just like this was we were little children too." Hana added. She turned a serious eye to Orian and the others. "Don't tease your siblings or your friends like that, you'll drive them all crazy."

They all laughed at her, amused.

"Now come on, I think we are all finally ready." I said. "Perhaps Tauriel has taken Kien and Tauris down already. Ander and Varis are due in just ten minutes."

We made our way down the halls, and I swore we never looked more like a parade then when we were all together. There was simply so many of us it seemed. I couldn't imagine our circle of family and friends getting any larger.

We stood by the gates, already opened in anticipation of our guests. Tauriel came down the next moment with her boys. Kien and Fien were whispering excitedly about all the things they were going to show Ander that they had learned on the training ground. Kien had recently had the beginning of some archery practise from Kili. True, they did not know much yet, but I was sure Ander would act amazed and astounded by their stances and simple movements.

Fali had yet to meet the two nymphs and stared around, curious as to what we were waiting for. I smirked as her curious expression. "Over there." I pointed a short distance away, on the steps. She fixed her gaze upon the spot. Within a few minutes the wind picked up and then the clouds began to spiral down. There was the usual flashes of turquoise and blue. Fali was amazed, her eyes big and round.

When the clouds dissipated, there stood Ander and Varis. The man had his usual smile and Varis had her usual white fur cloak around her. They strode in and Ander did his usual bow, low before the children before he acknowledged us, calling them all 'your majesties' and toward Orian his 'favorite nephew'. The children all but pounced upon him, with stories of their recent endeavours. Ander had to gently manoeuvre around them all to make it over to his sister, scooping up Orian as he did so. "Hana…" He smiled. "I thought I'd never get the chance to see you again."

"I was impatient for the visit as well." Hana beamed.

"Milady Tauriel, milady Rue..." He nodded and smiled at the two of us. "Tell me, how is this mountain? I haven't been here for…Navestal and Akara, has been a year? Time slips away when you move to new places, I suppose."

"Oh, enough of that!" Hana tugged on his arm.

"Hana, what do you mean?" Ander was smirking as he replied. "I haven't been here in what seems like forever, I'm eager to learn what I've missed."

"I am eager to learn what _I _have missed." Hana said. "You've been letting on about a secret for months."

"Oh that silly thing…" Ander was beaming.

"You can't leave it in the dark much longer." I smiled. "Hana is likely to drag it out of you at this point."

"You are as bad as when we were children." Ander reproached her mockingly.

"I can't help it. You've been teasing me with that secret for so long…like a carrot in front of pony." Hana replied, taking back her son.

"Well I don't think we can hide it much longer now." Ander said. "Right, Varis?"

"Not unless they're blind." She replied, giving us all a respectful nod.

"Varis!" Hana said, surprised. "You're in a dress!" She pointed to the bottom of a hem under the edge of Varis's cloak.

"Yes." She nodded. "My vest stopped fitting a while ago."

"What?" I asked. "Why would it no longer fit you?"

Ander was all smiles. Varis placed down the bag in front of her and removed the white fur cloak.

Now I understood why she was wearing a dress, why she had outgrown her vest.

She was pregnant…and by no small degree either.

"Oh! Oh! Oh my goodness!" Hana was excitement from head to toe. "Varis look at you!"

"I have." Varis replied. "Every time I look downward in fact."

"This is fantastic!" I cried out happily. "Congratulations to the both of you."

"Yes." Tauriel smiled fondly. "It looks like there will soon be three in your family."

"And another in ours." Hana was spilling little tears of joy.

"Thank you." Ander accepted our well wishes, placing a hand on Varis's shoulder.

"I can't believe you two got married!" Hana smiled. "…oh Ander, you didn't even tell me you were getting married!"

The smile on Ander's face fell just a little. This caused my smile to falter a bit as well.

"Hana…"He said, seriously. "I did not tell you I was getting married because- well, Varis and I are not married." He finished.

Hana's smile dropped quickly.

"You…but she's…and she's so far along…" Hana stuttered for a reason.

"We did not get married." Varis repeated the information, just in case Hana had not heard correctly. "We don't intend to be."

"Will the baby be able to play with us?" Kien asked. The question was in the eyes of all the other children. Obviously they did not understand how this situation was a bit more complicated than they thought.

"If you want to play with it I suppose you can." Varis said. "It'll be coming with us when we visit."

"Ander, may I please speak with you for a moment?" Hana said.

"Of course." Ander kept up the smile. Hana passed Orian over to Tauriel and I. We were left in the general area of the front entrance, and Ander was pulled away by his sister to one of the side rooms.

"The baby…" I nodded over at Varis. "It must be due soon."

"Within a fortnight." Varis nodded.

"A fortnight?!" I started examining her up and down. "Varis haven't you ever heard of children being born early?! It could come any day!"

"I know." She nodded.

"Well, why on earth would you come to Erebor now, of all times?" I demanded.

"Ander insisted we have it born somewhere other than home." Varis answered. "Births in the South remain a bit medieval. They work, obviously. But he wanted someone with some more formal training at hand, just in case." She paused. "I thought it unnecessary. I'm strong, and it's not like women _weren't_ meant to do this. I told him it would be presumptuous to come here and expect you to answer our call for aid so suddenly. But he said we had to at least try."

"Well…" I replied. "I'm flattered you chose Erebor as the child's place of birth. We won't leave you defenseless in that regard. You could have showed up in labour and we'd have helped you. But-"

"Ander has not told his family." Varis interrupted me, already seeming to know my question of why they could not have gone to the North tribe. "Only Mistral really likes me, and his sister here. The rest of them, they were not so approving of our friendship. They did not want him to leave the North, but Mistral said he could. Now, I am sure they will not take well to the child." She paused, frowning a little to herself.

"Why not?" Frerin asked, picking up the conversation has he played with his siblings and cousins.

"I'll explain it later." I told him, dismissing his involvement.

"I can't marry him." Varis said. "I love him, but…marriage complicates things."

"I don't see how-"

"Political matters, mostly."

Oh. Varis was correct in that regard. If she did marry her leadership would end, and be passed to Ander. The South was sure to dislike the idea of a North man in power. Not to mention Varis would dislike the idea of anyone leading, except from herself.

"I understand." I said at last. "Hana will probably understand as well. She is confused, but she was accepting of similar circumstances for Kili and Tauriel's marriage."

"Yes, but they got married." Varis added.

"She will understand, it's her own brother." I insisted. I sighed then. What were we going to do? The same social protocols were here in Erebor. All Ander and Varis had really done was venture out of a frying pan and into the fire beneath it. We could pretend they were wed, for their sake and the child's, but that would be acting a lie. Lies often made things even messier.

Tauriel had joined us, now that the children were occupied. "If I may be so bold as to ask…" Tauriel inquired.

"Were we even hoping to have a baby?" Varis asked. Her tone implied the question had been asked by others as well. Tauriel nodded softly.

"Yes, actually." Varis answered. "We may not be married in the strictest sense but we're still what one would consider a family."

"Then I am sure Hana will understand." Tauriel concluded.

"Yes, and you and Ander are very welcome to stay in Erebor. We'll make the new arrangements that are needed." I said.

"Thank you." Varis replied. Varia did not often give vocal thanks for such things, so I understood that this acceptance meant quite a lot to her. Ander and Hana approached after a few minutes, and Hana was smiling again. She actually strode up to Varis and embraced her.

"Welcome back." She nodded.

Ander was even more happy to hear of our agreement and thanked us numerous times. I dealt with the situation diplomatically, showing them their rooms where they would be staying and then informing a midwife that her services would be needed at some time. She made no inquiry as to their marital status, but I was sure she was assuming they had been married. The people of Erebor had seen them coming together to the mountain before, they knew of their relationship. They would assume it had taken a step forward.

But sooner or later someone was going to notice the absence of wedding rings and then the gossip would start up. There was very little I could do to stop that, only try to put it off for as long as I could.

I told Fili of it all after dinner, while the boys were occupied in the sitting room. Fili was holding Fali, trying to get her to fall asleep.

"I'm not encouraging the choices they made." I said. "But I can understand why they made them."

Fili nodded, shushing Fali as she tried to babble at us and stay awake. "With the leadership in the balance it does make some sense." He agreed. "It isn't an easy choice they've made though."

"I worry for them too."

"I worry for that child." Fili nodded. "He or she will have a lot of disapproval ahead of them."

"Why?" Frerin, Fien and Gideon's faces peeked around the corner.

"Boys, I told you this was a conversation between your Adad and I." I said, firmly.

"Have you been listening in?" Fili asked, seriously.

"I'm sorry." Frerin muttered. "I just wanted to know why everyone's so worried."

"Me too." Fien nodded.

"Me too." Gideon repeated his brother.

"We're not exactly worried…just a little concerned." I sighed.

"Is something wrong with the baby? Is it sick?" Fien asked.

"It's not a matter for children." Fili said. "Go back and play now. We'll deal with this."

"Can we know too?" Fien asked.

"You wouldn't understand."

"We might." Frerin pressed.

"We'll explain it all when-"

"Is it because they're not married?" Frerin asked. He may have been young but he was smart enough to work out the possibilities it seemed.

Fili and I exchanged a brief look. After a few seconds I said "They'll have to know not to speak about it so openly." We couldn't have our children being the start of any rumors.

Fili nodded, then turned to the boys and answered. "Yes Frerin, that is why."

"You see..." I tried my best to explain, drawing them closer. "People like it when things work in a certain order. They usually want parents to be married before children start coming into their lives."

"Why?" Fien asked.

"They just think they'll be happier that way." I'd leave the explanation at that for now.

"Will Ander and Varis be happy?" Frerin asked.

"Yes, I think they will." I nodded. "But you see, a lot of people will think they should be married."

"Oh." They nodded.

"Do you think they should be?" Fien asked us.

"Well, I suppose it would be nice if they were." Fili answered. "But it isn't really our choice to make for them."

"Yes." I nodded. "It is not our matter to discuss either, so you will have to promise that you won't go talking about their situation to your friends or anyone else." I looked at them seriously. "Do you promise?"

"Yes Amad."

"Good." Fili said. "It's late now. We should be getting you all in bed."

/

Word had gotten out about the condition that she was in within a few days, and the circumstances around it. Varis knew the dwarves in the halls were not blind. They could definitely see her stomach, and anyone who looked at her fingers could see there was no ring on them. They began to talk about her, but she did not care what they said. She didn't live in Erebor, and a glare was all it took to quiet a frenzy of whispers. Rue, Tauriel and Hana kept close watch on her, the baby being due soon and all.

Ander kept an even closer watch and it bothered her to no end. She was not accustomed to being treated as if she were so delicate.

She watched her friends with their children too. Soon she would also be a mother. It was strange idea. She wasn't sure what sort of mother she would make. The children she knew seemed to like her well enough. Her own mother had the same temperament as she did, and was a good mother (perhaps a bit tough, but in the South everyone's mother was like that), but she had never had any desire to be leader. She knew her place was in their home.

She missed being able to spar. It had been a part of her daily life for so long, and now even she had to admit it was too strenuous to be doing.

The ladies had kept her entertained as best they could for the following time. She was growing tired of tea and walking around. The afternoons spent outside were nice though.

It was just before midnight on their eighth day in Erebor when she realised she had gone into labour. There was a jolt of pain, and this woke her.

Any other women might have cried out or woken someone or something of that nature. But she was used to pain, and experiencing it was something she found herself able to withstand for now. Varis simply got up from the bed, leaving Ander there, and preceded to the bathing room in their apartments to wait until her water broke.

Quite frankly, she didn't understand why women made such a fuss over this whole thing yet. This wasn't as bad as when she had been cut with a few blades or shot by an arrow once. All it took really was a strong mind, a strong body and some controlled breathing. Ander had been a bit foolish, at this rate, she was sure she wouldn't be needing a midwife.

The usual Southern way, giving birth alone, with maybe only your mother or sister present, would suffice. She didn't have any siblings and her mother had long ago passed. Not that they would be here in Erebor if they were present. She had friends who were female, but it was the middle of the night and they were sure to cause a fuss.

She was strong. She could do this alone.

Her water broke and she reflected on what she knew from stories of this matter. She quietly passed Ander (who was still sleeping because she had been so quiet and refused to wake him yet) and began pacing the halls. Walking helped to speed things along she recalled. In her case it did. Things were getting more intense as well she noted.

In the end, she had to admit that walking was no longer comfortable for her in any way. She returned, still being as quiet as she could. The thought of waking Ander dawned on her, but she still decided against it. Men weren't present for births anyway, so what on earth would he be missing? Sitting in the hall for a few more hours still, probably worried, when he could be resting?

She had the brilliant idea to run a bath and get into the hot water, which at this moment was worth a thousand pounds of gold to her. It felt good in the bathtub, so she might as well stay in there for the rest of this night. She'd be dripping wet if she got out anyhow.

It was odd how her stomach tensed so visibly when the pains hit. She breathed through them. By now she was starting to have an inkling why women made such a fuss of labour. Eventually crying out seemed like it was simply going to happen, but she refused to wake Ander still. She'd made it thus far, and there'd be such a rush for a midwife and for the ladies. Not to mention it was probably five o clock in the morning so everyone was undoubtedly still sleeping. She grabbed her bag from a nearby stool and pulled a reed stick out to place between her teeth.

Women did it all the time back home. It did help to bite down on something, she noted dully. She'd brought them with her just in case she started giving birth in the middle of the night. The last thing she needed was to wake half of Erebor with her racket.

She tried to make as little an amount of noise as possible. It started seeming rather futile toward the end, reed stick between her teeth or not. The actual process of delivering a baby felt incredibly strange, and painful. Nevertheless, she remained determined and managed to give birth to the child, her cries fairly muted. The relief was immense, and she didn't even realise how much discomfort she had been in until it all vanished.

Quickly she pulled her child to the surface and (gently) slapped it's backside, encouraging it to breath. It did, and the very first thing it did was start bawling.

"Shh." She said, spitting out the reed stick to speak. The baby had dark hair, like her. She had guessed that it would.

"Varis?"

That was Ander. Cusses filled her head. The babe was still covered in a bloody mess and crying. The cord attaching them was still pulsing lightly. That felt strange too. She needed to get out of the tub before the afterbirth started to leave her…that would make a real mess of things.

Birth was disgusting, she thought. Uncomfortable, disgusting, it happened at the most inconvenient times, why did women even go through it? The babe sniffled against her. She hugged the infant closer. She was surprisingly warm. Was it a natural reaction? To help the warm the child? The child leaned into her warmth. She felt surprisingly nice inside. Bonded to the little thing in her arms.

She began to call back to the child's father, just as Ander entered the bathing room. His face was a mix of emotions. First surprise. Then joy. Then shock, mixed with panic.

He swore. Then all but shouted "Did you just have the baby?"

What was he, blind and deaf?

"I'm holding a baby." She replied, some sarcasm in her tone.

"Don't you even give quick remarks!" Ander said. "This isn't funny."

"Could you get a dagger from my bag?" Varis asked, picking up on of the softer cloths and cleaning the infant off, who still wept softly against her.

"Why?" Ander asked.

"The life-cord." Varis replied shortly. She hurried to finish cleaning the baby. Ander nodded and, still in some state of shock, looked through her bag. Varis finally stood and removed herself from the bath, wrapping the infant in a towel quickly.

Ander found a dagger and passed it to her, and ran to find her a nightgown. Varis severed the line between the child and her, who had ceased crying for now. She finally had a chance to look down and take a proper look at the baby.

Ten fingers and ten toes. A healthy set of lungs. She placed her fingers on it's chest. A steady beating heart. No odd bends in the limbs. It's eyes were clear…and violet. Very, very violet indeed.

It was a girl, she noticed.

Ander returned promptly., a warm nightgown in hand. "Put this on." He said. "Hurry, you'll get cold." She passed the child to him, wrapped up in it's towel. Ander accepted the bundle and held it close as she dressed, and then left her in privacy for a few minutes to finish the whole ordeal of the delivery and clean herself up. He too took in the violet eyes, the black hair, the fact that it was a girl.

He also noticed the light curl in the baby's hair, now that it was drying. There was something of him in the child. Varis returned, and he led her straight to the bed, and passed the infant back to her. His gazed remained fixated on the both of them.

"I can't believe you did this." He said, still in surprise. "Varis, you shouldn't have. What if something went wrong? Is she even alright?"

"She's healthy." Varis nodded.

"This is why I wanted her to be born elsewhere to begin with." He sighed. "And in the end you didn't so much as wake me." He frowned. "Why didn't you even wake me?"

"I'm sorry you didn't get to sit in the hall all night." Varis mock-apologized.

"Don't make light of this, it's serious."

"Oh, so now you're serious?" She asked.

"Yes." He nodded. "My goodness…" He gently touched the dark curls. "What are we going to name her?"

"You can name her anything you like."

"We should name her together."

"It's your right."

"You did all the work."

"I don't know…" She hadn't given much thought toward names. It was the health of the baby that had been her chief concern. "Have it start with a V."

"Vara?"

"That's too feminine."

"Well, she's a beautiful girl. It would suit her."

"Too feminine." She repeated. "Think of something else."

"Valen?"

"Now you've gone too plain."

"Make up your mind."

"You make up yours."

"Velith?"

"Is that even a name?"

"Does it sound like one?"

"Ander." She groaned.

"Well I'm sorry if I didn't have my hours in the hallway to think this over!" He replied snappishly.

Varis sighed. "I'm sorry if you don't have a name until you're three weeks old." She apologized to her daughter.

"What about Vesper?"

Vesper.

That was actually sort of nice.

"I think I like that one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Just name her, for goodness sake."

"Well, she'll have her name the rest of her life…I just want of make sure her mother really likes it."

Varis smiled. "I will."

"Then Vesper it is."

Vesper she was. They held her and watched her for a few hours and then, when they did not appear at breakfast, company came to their door. Ander answered the call. "Good morning." He smiled.

"Good morning." It was Hana and her family. "How are you today?" Hana asked. "Sleep well?"

"Beautifully." Ander answered, which made Varis smirk a little in the bed.

"And Varis?"

"She didn't get much sleep. At least I'm fairly sure she didn't…"

"Where is she now?"

Varis could sense the smile on Ander's face already when she heard the reply. "She's just in bed. With Vesper, the baby."


	18. Chapter 18 (The workroom incident)

**Ages-**

**Frerin: 6.5**

**Fien: 4.5**

**Gideon: 2**

**Fali: 7 months**

**Kien: 4**

**Tauris: 1.8**

**Orian: 2.5 ish**

**Vesper: 2 months ?**

**I also, upon request, added a song into this update, which is not mine. It's from a youtube search, Heather Dale (again) and it's called White rose. **

"Fali, that is not yours!" Fien cried out. Fali pouted where she was, clinging to Fien's toy sword. Fien attempted to be nice. "Fali can I have it back, please?" He held out his hands expectantly. Fali kept her hold. "Please…?" Fien asked again, trying to gently pry her fingers away. Fali howled in protest.

"Amad!" Fien yelled for me, giving up. "Fali's not sharing!"

"Why is this conversation so familiar?" I muttered to myself. I was vaguely reminded of the same occurrence between Frerin and Fien…only he had hidden everything.

"Fali is clinging on to your things again?"

"Yes."

"Have you tried being nice?"

"Yes."

"Have you tried trading with her?"

There was the sound of him running back to his room to look for something that might fascinate her. Then into her room, for the same search. He eventually returned to her. "Look Fali." I peered out around the corner and saw that he located her stuffed bear. "See what I found?"

Fali did see, and very much desired to have it. She reached for it, but Fien held the bear out of her reach. "We'll trade.' He said. "C'mon, please."

Fali was dubious that Fien would give her the bear if she handed over the blade and Fien was equally dubious she would hand over the blade if he first surrendered the bear. Slowly they both laid a hand on their objects and switched items, clinging to their things. Fien breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the whole trial had worked.

I breathed a tiny sigh of relief as well. It was good to see that Fien was getting along well with his younger siblings and enjoying playing with them. Frerin had his lessons to keep him busy, and was gone in the mornings. I had gotten used to it, and found that with one child occupied I had a handful more time than I normally had.

I had taken up writing again, this time to Varis, who had returned to the South with Ander and their daughter. I had been as surprised as the rest of us to find Vesper suddenly present that fateful morning. Of course, Varis wasn't exactly the friendly correspondence type of person. I wrote her the first letter, inquiring to her life in the South and how she was finding motherhood. I received the shortest reply I had yet to see from a letter.

_ The South is doing well. Vesper is not too great a trouble. _

I inquired the same things again, only this time addressing the letter to Ander. He sent me a highly detailed account of Vesper, and how Varis was doing and what occupied their days. He said Varis quite liked the sling that Tauriel had sent to her for the baby, the same one she had used when hunting and caring for her sons. Varis found use of it every day when meeting with her men, and carried Vesper with her on her patrols. I worried as to whether Varis would make a good mother…she did not appear the nurturing type. But Ander said she was doing fine, and the child really did love her, so she must be doing something right. As for doting on the little girl, he also assured me that he had this task under control.

I felt someone pulling on the hem of my skirt and looked down into Fali's big blue eyes. She stared up at me and raised her hands up expectantly. She must have been in the mood for walking. I took her little hands in mine and began to slowly step around the room, holding up her weight for her as she took these aided steps around. She looked positively adorable as she did it too.

Fien held up his little wooden sword. "Amad, can we go training again?"

I figured this may happen. Fien was simply too excited to not learn. Fili and I could only continue for so long with the simple lessons before he started to demand to move on with his teaching like Frerin was.

"I don't think so, darling." I shook my head. "Gideon will probably sit nice while we practise, but Fali will want to crawl around, and it's really beyond Gideon to keep her in place."

Fien thought for a second. "Amad, I have an idea."

"Oh?" I looked up, as Fali and I passed him.

"When Adad brings Frerin home…maybe he can take Fali and then we can go together?"

"I don't know." I mused. Fili had only ever minded Frerin in the offices, and he had been so well behaved. Fali was a little ball of energy, and her best behaviour was not always promised. I didn't know what would happen if I let her go to the offices. I didn't know if that was a safe risk to take part in.

I did not have much time to think over the matter either. Fili and Frerin returned a few short minutes later. Fien all but jumped on the opportunity. "Frerin, do you want to go and practise?"

"Alright." He nodded. "Can we Amad?"

"Amad said we could, if someone looks after Fali." Fien explained. "Would you, Adad?"

"Fien, that's not what I said." I replied. "Not exactly." I looked over at Fili. "Fali is more active than what Gideon can manage from the side. She's no longer content to sit on some blanket and watch the boys. The only way I'd be able to practise with them is if someone watches her."

"I could manage that." Fili shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Why not?"

"Well, not to say she's goblin spawn, but she's definitely not as calm and behaved compared to Frerin when he was her age."

"She's a little girl."

"That's what you say now."

"I watch over her here at home."

"It's different here. You don't realise what she gets into here. You'd start noticing in the offices."

"It won't be for too long, I'm sure I can handle it." Fili nodded. "Besides, everyone's in the work room today. I'm sure her uncles are dying to see her."

"Oh Mahal…" I sighed. "I'm sorry boys, no practise today."

"What did I say?" Fili asked.

"I got horrible visions of there being too many caretakers. More people, bigger mess." I explained.

"It's a little girl." Fili stressed that point again. "Surely I can manage my daughter for a few short hours."

"Oh, this is far more than just a little girl." I replied. "This is Fali." I tickled the child in question on her stomach and she giggled.

"Fali likes to make a mess." Gideon nodded in agreement with me.

Indeed she did, whether it be by accident or not. It appeared we had gotten a well-behaved child, then an imp, then another quieter child, and then another more intense one. Why did children happen in patterns?

"We'll be fine." Fili said. "You take the boys down to the training grounds and have your fun. I'll take Fali downstairs to the offices and mind her. You'll come back later and find her perfectly fine."

"Please Amad?" Frerin and Fien begged.

I sighed heavily. "Fine…alright." I at last agreed.

The boys cheered. "Thank you Adad." His sons thanked him.

"Just for a little while." I added, cautiously. I looked my husband in the eye. "I trust you."

/

Fali was seated on his knee, and stayed there…for ten minutes. She much preferred to stay at his feet, hiding under the desk like it was a fort. Whenever someone came by the desk she would pop out and smile at them, laughing. If she really liked you she would try to chase your feet for a few paces.

"What in the name of Durin's beard?!" Fili looked up to Dori, who had spoken. He had almost tripped over Fali. She smiled up at him and laughed. "Ah…hello princess." She gurgled at him. "Back under the desk you go." Dori showed her, and she scooted herself back to her post.

"Sorry, she can get a little under your feet sometimes." Fili apologized.

"Ahh!" Ori gave a brief yell as he tumbled into the floor, sending scrolls with him.

Fali was laughing jovially.

"Is she hurt?" Nori asked, coming to Ori's assistance.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you." Ori replied sarcastically.

"Don't worry, she's fine." Dori said. "The little bugger."

Fili got up from the desk and this time plucked Fali from the floor. "My apologies Ori."

"Nothing to worry about." Ori nodded. "I'm not hurt…it's the scrolls I'm more worried about. They're all out of order now."

"We should pick these up…someone may trip over them." Bofur entered, picking up a scroll rolling and unraveling toward him.

They nodded, re-organizing the scrolls. "Looks like you're going back on my knee." Fili said to Fali.

Fali found herself quite incapable of sitting on a knee for longer than ten minutes, so she was placed on the desk itself. Up there she knew of her limited mobility, lest she fall over the edge of the desk. She sat in her spot, and did not move more than a few inches.

But that did not mean everything in reach wasn't fair game. Fali's way of investigating the nature of something was to pick it up, stare at it with curiosity, turn it over a few times in her hands, shake the object, hopefully not drop it (and if it dropped and bounced she would definitely drop it again to see if it bounced more) and then if she had not been interrupted and told to put whatever she had down, she would put it in her mouth.

Luckily, there was nothing very small on the desk right now because Fili had cleared it of those things.

There was however, a few little containers full of quills, an assortment of small boxes that held anything from wax for seals to tiny scrolls, and quite a few free sheets of parchment. The last of which was quite often shredded to a thousand bits and pieces.

"Hello." Kili passed by. "Ah, looks like my favorite niece is with you."

"She's your only niece." Fili added. "Rue's taken the boys down to the training grounds, so someone has to mind her."

"I see." Kili nodded. "She has a lot of energy today."

"I noticed."

"How are you holding up with her?"

"She's fine."

"What's she eating?"

That got him to stand straight up and take a better look at what Fali was currently doing. Indeed, he had let too much time pass and now she was chewing on her fine bits of parchment. "Mahal…" He groaned. "Fali, spit it out." He said, trying to grab away the parchment in her hands and open her mouth.

Thankfully she did, and the whole mess, paper shreds and all was disposed of. Their friends in the work room found the whole incident funny and burst out laughing, which had Fali giggling as well.

"Do you think she ate any?" Fili asked his brother. "You know, swallowed any of them?"

"She could have." Kili shrugged. "It only parchment though, not rocks or something like that…"

"What if she gets sick?" Fili asked. Rue would be most definitely doubting his abilities if he returned Fali with an upset stomach.

"I don't think she will be." Kili answered. "If she does start feeling poorly just take her to Oin."

"What on earth is she doing here?" Thorin entered the room suddenly and noticed the mess of parchment on the floor.

"It's just my turn to mind her." Fili answered. "I think she just ate some parchment though."

"The work room is no place for a baby." Thorin replied.

"Thorin we brought Frerin here all the time." Fili mentioned.

"He knew how to sit still." Thorin agrued. "And he certainly didn't destroy and eat parchment."

"She's a little bored, but I didn't feel so sure of putting her on the floor. She crawls right under your feet."

Fali saw it fitting at that moment to shake a jar of quills, sending them off on the floor rolling. "I'll take that from you now." Fili gently removed the container from her hands.

Thorin frowned. "She's being disruptive."

"Oh c'mon Uncle." Fili smiled. "She brings a little something adorable to the office, doesn't she?"

Fali turned over a well of ink, forming a dark puddle on the desk. Luckily Thorin grabbed her before she could stain any of her clothes or her hands. Fili laughed, a little rigidly. "Cheeky little girl…" He mused, as Kili instinctively tossed the splotched up sheets of parchment into a waste basket with Fali's other handiwork.

"Perhaps it is time her mother collected her." Thorin said, handing Fali over and removing the now half empty ink well from her hands.

"Rue will only be another hour." Fili said. "Surely you can put up with her presence for that amount of time." Thorin looked doubtful. He loved his extended niece but…

"How can you say no to a face like this one?" Fili said, and if she understood that it was time to do so, Fali smiled adorably.

Thorin sighed. "Put her back on the floor at least." He grumbled. "That way she won't touch everything."

Fali was restored to the floor, where she simply amused herself at her father's feet. She occasionally would pop out to smile at whoever passed the desk. Most would smile and wave back down at her. Bofur would tip his hat. Fali liked them all and the attention they paid her.

Fili, about a half hour later, looked at the clock and knew that Rue would be due back fairly soon. He smiled to himself. Despite the rough beginning, Fali had been quite well behaved. He ducked down to grab her from the underside of the desk when he realised…

She was no longer there.

Kili noticed something was wrong when he swore. "Fili?"

"Did you see Fali crawl out from under the desk?"

"No." Kili shook his head honestly. "I just came back from another Wing." He frowned. "Why?"

"She's gone."

"As in…?"

"She crawled out, and now she's gone."

"She's somewhere in this room though, right?" Kili scanned the floor, where a dozen dwarves were walking briskly.

"I have no idea." Fili sighed, also scanning the floor. There was no sign of her.

"I don't see her in here." Kili said.

"Maybe she wondered into another room." Fili said, eyeing the side doorways that let to rooms full of scrolls and other offices and such.

"She probably did." Kili nodded. "Which one?"

That was the true problem, because the side doors were open arches and so led into a complete network of rooms. The truth was…Fali could be anywhere at this point.

"Split up." Fili said. "I'll go left and you go right."

The great search for Fali then began. "Fali?" Fili called, hoping she would pop out from somewhere. "Fali, come out here."

"What are you doing?" Bofur asked.

"Fali's gone." Fili explained shortly, checking under a low table.

"As in…?"

"Gone, Bofur, as in vanished." Fili repeated.

"Oh." Bofur scanned the room full of scrolls they were in. "Rue is not going to like that."

Fili nodded mutely, knowing that all too well.

"Have you looked behind these scrolls?" Bofur asked, nodding at the various cupboards containing them. The shelves went all the way to the floor, so Fali could have crawled in and hid herself behind the papers if she had wanted to.

"Not yet." Fili said, getting up and beginning to pull scrolls out of the bottom shelves and place them in a growing, haphazard pile on the central table. Bofur joined him, adding to the pile.

"Fali?" Fili called out again.

"The scrolls!" Ori came in and noticed all his work strewn about. "Do you have any idea how long it is going to take to sort these out again?"

"Fali is gone." Bofur and Fili said over their shoulders in unison.

"Gone? As in…?"

"How many meanings are there for the word 'gone'?" Fili asked, a little irritable.

"Oh no." Ori gazed around, partly uttering the words because Fali was missing and partly because his work had unraveled so quickly. He sighed and began pulling scrolls from another shelf as well, placing these in a far more orderly pile of his own.

"Have you found her yet?" Kili rushed in.

"No." Fili shook his head. "I'm guessing you were also unsuccessful?"

"We were." Dori and Nori appeared.

Bifur walked past and eyed the piles of scrolls curiously, and the men standing around. He looked over to Bofur and asked a question, in Khuzdul, but Fili knew it was something along the lines of 'What happened here?'.

"Fali's missing." Bofur said. "Crawled out from under the desk when her father wasn't looking."

Bifur then nodded and began to walk around, calling out in a mixture of Khuzdul and common tongue. It looked like he was searching for a lost cat. At this rate, Rue would hear them from the training grounds.

"What's all the noise for?" It's Gloin, peering inside. "You can hear the racket when you pass the door."

Well, that just wonderful. Rue would definetly hear them. "Quiet, be quiet." Fili stressed. "We're looking for Fali."

"Is she hiding?"

"It isn't so much 'hiding' as it is 'missing'." Kili filled Gloin in.

"Missing?!"

"Just please help us look." Fili sighed. "She could be anywhere."

"Gimli." The boy, who had grown much since he first arrived in Erebor, appeared next to his father. "You look over there."

They probably made quite the sight as they searched for Fali. "Fali, please come out." Fili sighed as he looked behind a bookshelf.

"What happened?"

That was Thorin. Fili turned around. "Just help me look for her." He sighed. "Rue is going to be back here any moment."

"You lost her?!"

"I didn't mean to."

"How does someone lose their own child?!"

"Surprisingly, it's quite easy." Kili muttered, passing them by. He was grabbed by the back of the neck on his tunic.

"Surprisingly easy?" Thorin asked.

"She just crawled away." Fili responded. "She was being so quiet and good, I just assumed she was enjoying herself."

"Of course it would appear like that, _she was gone_."

"Well arguing is not going to help find her…sire." Ori said, as he tried in vain to re-organize the scrolls.

Thorin grumbled, released his nephews and started searching himself. "She's probably touching everything. We'll just have to look for puddles of spilt ink and people who have tripped."

They continued their search, and it was beginning to look hopeless.

He had promised Rue that he would return a perfectly fine Fali to her. Now he would settle for Fali in general. He was now equally panicked over what his wife would say to this and if his daughter was actually alright. "Fali?" He looked under another table. "Fali!" He checked behind more shelves.

Where was she?

Was she safe?

Had she hurt herself?

He burst into a room that was a small work space. Seated in a chair in the corner, by some little hearth, was Balin.

"…and then the great Eagles dove out of the night sky, their wings so broad they blocked the light of the moon. We were hanging to the branches of a lone pine tree, over a perilous drop. Those birds saved our lives. Right before we could fall, they caught us on their backs and off we went, flying toward Erebor."

Fili immediately looked over Balin's shoulder and was relieved to see Fali curled up against the elderly dwarf, nearly asleep.

"Where did you find her?"

"Curled up under this chair." Balin answered.

"Thank you." He sighed, taking Fali back into his own hold.

"She certainly tired herself out with her little adventure." Balin smiled.

"I've been looking for her everywhere." Fili admitted. "I should have been paying attention."

"Happens to the best of us." Balin said. "Fali is a bit more energetic than Frerin was."

"Definetly." Fali woke herself up, and this plunged her into a cranky state. Fili couldn't care less that she was moody right now, she was safe. "You scared me." He sighed.

He walked back to where his own work space was to find a crowd forming. In the center was Rue and his sons and surrounding them were their friends, who were currently stalling for him.

"…Fali, yes, she would be with her father."

"…and he would be in here…"

Luckily they did not need to stall any longer. He appeared, and Fali was still fussing. Rue noticed them and immediately swooped over, taking Fali back to her arms and settling her down. "She's a bit tired." Fili said.

"I can see." Rue replied. "I'll return her home right now and put her in her cradle." She smiled up at him. "Well done. Maybe she can come here more often."

"No!" The word was shouted from all of them.

Rue stared at them curiously.

"She was terribly bored."

"Aye, she'd enjoy her time with her brothers much better."

"We had our hands full entertaining this one."

"Oh." Rue smiled. "I thought as much. She has too much energy for just sitting around." The dwarves grimaced a little at those words.

Fili returned home with his family, much of his productive mind spent on hunting fown Fali. He all but collapsed into one of the chairs when he arrived. He was very lucky to have found her just in time.

In Fali's room, Rue was putting the little girl down for an afternoon nap, singing softly to her.

I'll tell you a tale of when time had no meaning

When lengend and history walked hand in hand

When the swords of the mighty had bested the dragon

But the elfin still watched over this land

White Rose: Queen of the summer

White Rose: Queen of the fall

White Rose: The new guard will follow

White Rose: The old guard will fall

Rue appeared shortly after this verse of finished. "She fell asleep so quickly." She said.

"Is that so?" Fili asked. "She was getting rather exhausted when you arrived."

"I guess so." Rue shrugged. "What on earth did she do to make herself so tired?"

Fili considered his options as to an answer, deciding not to worry Rue and reply with the partial-truth "I really have no idea."

**As much as I wanted to put the whole song in it's a) sort of long and b) matches better for the plot of lotr**


	19. Chapter 19 (Another guest)

**Only had time for one update this week. Life happened. **

**Ages:**

**Frerin- almost seven**

**Fien- almost five**

**Gideon- almost 2.5**

**Fali- 1 ish**

**Which makes Kien- 4.5 or so Tauris- nearly 2 Orian- 3 and Vesper- 6-7months**

"Are you alright?" Frerin asked, looking over Atticus. "You look a little sick."

Atticus shook his head. "No." He answered shortly.

"My Adad will be here soon." Frerin smiled. "Then he'll take us home." Frerin looked over to his friend again. "Are you sure you feel alright?" He repeated.

Atticus nodded again. Truth be told, he was feeling particularily nervous. Children generally would be when they were friends with royalty and then spending the afternoon at their house. His mother had drilled every piece of good manners into his mind repeatedly that morning, and right now Atticus was going over them all again. A sudden and rather pressing question entered his mind. "Do I have to bow to your father?" He asked.

Frerin laughed at him. Atticus didn't find it very funny though. To him, it was a very honest question. Though, he did take it from the laughter that bowing was not required. "No." Frerin answered. "You don't have to bow to him, or Amad or anyone."

Atticus breathed a small sigh of relief.

That was one thing off his shoulders at least. Now he just had to remember to say 'please' and 'thank you' and not touch anything breakable and to keep his elbows off the table, and half a dozen other things that he was having trouble remembering from his mother that morning.

Frerin glanced down the hall and noticed his father walking toward them. "He's here." He nudged Atticus with his elbow softly. "Remember, you don't have to bow or anything." He snickered.

They rose from the bench they had been sitting on and Frerin dashed up to his father, with Atticus trailing behind at a safe distance. "Hello, Adad." Frerin smiled.

"Hello Frerin." Fili nodded back. "Atticus." He nodded back at the other boy.

Atticus nodded mutely back.

"How were lessons?" Fili asked conversationally.

"They were alright I suppose." Frerin shrugged.

Fili nodded, the generic response being what Frerin used most often to describe his school days. "Shall we head home then?"

"Yes please." Frerin nodded. "C'mon Atticus." He smiled back at his friend.

Atticus nodded and followed. Frerin strayed back a few paces from his father to walk beside his friend. He could sense Atticus's apprehension keenly. He supposed it must feel a little odd for him, what with titles involved and everything. If he had heard of the long speech Atticus's mother had given him, he would feel it even more.

He'd wanted Atticus to see his home though, now that they were good friends. He hoped his friend wouldn't be nervous all afternoon. Frerin really saw no difference between his family and others. He saw children playing with their siblings, and he did that. He saw sons aiding their fathers where they worked, and he did that (albeit this line of work was quite different, but the principle of it was the same). He saw mothers sometimes scold their children and his Amad did that too.

So, there really was no difference., and Atticus did not need to be nervous.

They arrived at their door soon. "This is it." Frerin nodded, despite it was really the only door in the Hall.

Atticus nodded, accepting the information and remaining mute.

Fili opened the door, and then there was the usual vigorous meeting with Fien, who was always relieved to have his brother back from school. Unfortunatly, it had slipped Fien's mind that Atticus would be joining them, and he stared curiously at him. "Who are you?" He asked.

"It's Atticus, Fien." Their Amad called over her shoulder. "Don't you remember him from all of Frerin's stories?"

"Ohhhhh." Fien nodded.

Atticus had gone a little pale. Luckily, Amad noticed and she had a way of solving everything. She smiled brightly at his friend. "Hello." She said.

"Hello." Attiucs replied, staring a little more at his feet than her face.

Amad was currently holding Fali on her hip. Fali smiled in greeting. She wasn't shy, like some babies were, and took a liking quite easily to visitors, both old and new.

Gideon, on the other hand, was observing the new guest cautiously from the hall. He was the shy one. It took some time to gain his trust.

"I'm very glad you and Frerin are friends." Amad smiled.

"You're welcome." Atticus mumbled.

Amad laughed softly to herself a little, not in any tauting way of course, but with a good nature. Atticus smiled a little too. He liked the fact that he had made the nymphian princess under the mountain laugh. She thought he was funny. He decided he liked her well enough.

The baby girl on her hip laughed at him, more because her mother was laughing though.

Atticus had seen Frerin's little sister before, when Frerin came for lessons in the morning. He'd never truly met her though. In fact, he hadn't met many girls that young at all. All his female cousins (there was only three of them, and he had a large extended family) were older than he was, and females were an uncommon occurance to begin with. He didn't like his girl cousins all the time because he found then rather boring. But he supposed Frerin's little sister was fine.

Fien seemed to like him, so Atticus thought he'd get on rather well with Fien.

He noticed suddenly a boy that was quite young, who didn't look a lot like his siblings. He had dark hair, and if anything he resembled the current King and Princess of Erebor. He was hiding, it seemed.

"Hello." Atticus cast a friendly grin in the boy's direction. The boy ducked away into the hall.

"That's Gideon, he's my youngest brother." Frerin said. "You've probably seen him before. He can be a bit shy."

"Oh." Atticus nodded.

"He'll warm up to you though." Frerin's mother nodded. "He always does, given some time."

Gideon then poked his face out from the hall again.

Atticus decided he would like him too.

/

I quite liked the little friend Frerin had brought home with him today. For the last year it seemed all I had heard about was 'Atticus was I were learning this' and 'Attics and I did this' and 'Next time we were going to do this'. Frerin seemed to get along well with all his fellow students, but with this boy he had formed a firm, and apparently lasting, friendship.

They were as inseperable as brothers.

We were lucky Fien was just as intrigued by him as Frerin was, for fear of our younger son becoming jealous.

It became quite clear to me that the young boy was a little nervous about coming to our home. Given his family was of higher rank than normal (again, no ill will against the tinkers, miners, bakers and toy makers, for they did make the finest of companions) I had felt coming to our home would not be so great a culture shock. But he looked positively pale when he walked inside.

It took me only a minute to consider the fact that his mother had probable worn him out through breakfast, reminding him of a hundred social conventions and manners that no child that young can really remember.

Except for Tauris, that dwelfing was born for the higher society it seemed. He was so young, but he sat with his back as straight as a rod, and with a smile that was both diplomatic and charming. The offspring of an elf if I ever saw one.

Thankfully, we had no Tauris's at our table that mid-day meal. We had only my well-enough mannered children, who had as good of manners as could be expected from children their age.

Meaning that Frerin was fairly good, Fien got distracted easily, Gideon ate quietly, and Fali spilt something by knocking it with her elbow. Atticus seemed to find this actually endearing, and familiar to him. If anything it relaxed him.

After Fili departed for the afternoon, I was happy to see the two boys rush off. I could hear them in Frerin and Fien's shared room.

"This is an Eagle, yes?" That was the voice of Atticus, who had probably found or been shown on of the beautifully sculpted birds Fili and Kili had made for the boys.

"Yes, but in real life they're much bigger. Ten times the size of a normal eagle." That was Frerin.

"Have you ever seen one?"

"No…but my Amad and Adad did. They rode on them."

"Really?!"

We had…a long time ago, but I still recalled the feeling of sitting on feathers and the nerves in my body, wondering if Thorin was alright, for he had been injured.

"This is my sword!" Frerin said enthusiastically. "Right now I only have the one, but when I train more I want to have two, like my Adad. What about you?"

"I think I'd like to have an axe, like my Adad." Atticus replied. "But I won't have one for a long time."

"Amad won't let me or Fien touch one yet either." Frerin said understandingly.

I snickered to myself a little. "Do you want to spar?"

"You only have the one, and I'm pretty sure Fien won't let me borrow his."

"You can borrow Gideon's." Frerin said. "He has one too, but he doesn't play with it very much. He wouldn't mind."

"Gideon" Atticus called. My youngest son walked down the hallway, answering the call, if a bit shyly still. "Would you mind if I borrowed this?"

He must have nodded that Atticus could, because I could hear the soft, spirited smacks of wood against wood.

Fien, of course, was eager to join them. He could be a bit boastful of the little I had taught him of swordsmanship. Frerin and Atticus knew a little more, but somehow that knowledge was lost on him. Gideon, surprisingly, watched them have their little spar. He paid particular interest to Atticus, the way he moved, what he was capable of doing.

Fali remained intrigued by him, and also by the fun going on down the hall, and wanted to crawl over, but she had a habit of crawling straight into the middle of things, and under people's feet. I kept her on my lap, and tried to keep her entertained in the process.

"Like this Fien, see?" Atticus said. He was probably demonstrating something with the wooden sword.

"Like this?"

"Yes, just like that."

"What do think Frerin?"

"You'er good enough I guess. Atticus already taught me how to do that trick."

Fien sighed, annoyed. "You learn everything before I do."

"I'm older." Frerin said, his tone one that made me think he must have shrugged.

"I'm going to show Amad!" Fien said, and then there was the sound of a door flying open and a child running down the hall. "Amad, Amad!" Fien was excited again. "Look at what Atticus just taught me how to do."

"I'm watching." I nodded.

Fien stood two paces back. He then proceeded to sweep the wooden blade from right to left, with the blade flat, before (slowly, for he had just learned the method) flipping the hilt of the blade around in his hand and then thrusting it outward in a jabbing sort of movement. "See?" Fien asked.

"I did. With some practise you'll be turning the blade like that better than ever."

Atticus and Frerin exited his room. "Where did you learn that?" I asked. "It's a rather neat little trick."

"My brothers taught me." Atticus nodded. "They're training right now with their swords."

I did not doubt it, I had seen them training in the arenas. Atticus's brothers were a fair bit older than him, and perhaps a bit….rough around the edges (that is a nice way to describe them, for although they were more wild they did have their hearts in the right places) for they had grown up in the Iron Hills.

"Is it true they thought you were a boy?" Atticus asked suddenly.

"Who?" I asked. "The company of Thorin Oakenshield?"

"Yes, them." Atticus nodded.

"They did. At least for a little while." I answered.

Atticus looked a little skeptical. "You look like a lady to me."

I laughed softly. "Thank you." I smiled. "But it's quite easy to notice I'm a lady when I'm wearing a dress."

"Amad used to travel around and wear boy's clothes." Frerin informed him. "She had a hat too, that covered most of her hair. So when her and and Adad and my uncles met, they all thought she was a boy."

"I think I still have that hat stashed away…" I mused. "Let me show you." I went back to my dresser and looked through the bottom drawer where I kept the tunics and pants I still wore when I was sparring. Under the neatly folded articles was Gideon's (my brother, not my son's) old hat. I took out a plain cloak too, and clasped it around me to hide the dress. Walking down the hall I piled the hair on top of my head and fixed the hat over it.

Perhaps this little disguise no longer worked, I thought. My face hadn't changed much, but I thought I now had a more motherly air about me…and my hips had become a bit more pronounced (thanks to four babies), definetly more womanly than before.

I emerged and Atticus's mouth all but dropped open. "Oh…you do look a bit like a boy…" He admitted.

I almost groaned internally. Some things never changed I guessed.

"They found me, just like this." I said.

"You could fight too." Fien nodded.

"I could." I said. "I still do sometimes."

"She spars with Adad but no one ever wins." Frerin told his friend.

"Your father and I are too well matched." I nodded. "We keep trying to beat eachother but it hasn't resulted in a victor yet. We used to spar a lot more often, and now we have you four to deal with."

Frerin and Fien laughed at the responsibility they caused Fili and I.

"How did you meet the company of Thorin Oakensheild?" Atticus asked curiously.

"Surely you've heard the story of that." I said.

"I have but it always changes." Atticus explained.

"Well what version have you heard?" I asked.

"I heard that you fell off a ledge and landed right into their camp."

"I did not fall of a ledge!" I replied. "I didn't do anything like that."

"Sorry." Atticus said, a bit of his shyness returning.

"Sorry." I apologized for making him feel out of place again. "It's just that there was orc noises, and then I was on the ledge, and there was the tea…"

"Tea?" Atticus raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, tea." I nodded.

"For Master Baggins." Fien said.

"For your Uncle Bilbo." I corrected. They knew of him only through letters and his month long stay in Erebor shortly before Fali had been born, but I still insisted that they refer to him as they did the other members of the old company.

I turned my gaze back to young Atticus. "Would you like to hear the real story?" I asked. Atticus smiled and nodded.

"May I tell it Amad?" Frerin asked.

"You've probably heard it enough to tell it by memory." I agreed. "You might as well, Frerin."

Gideon approached us. He enjoyed this story best. I picked im up and settled Fali and him on opposite sides of me, on our sofa. "Start the story." I nodded.

Frerin smiled and Fien and Atticus seated themselves down.

"Once upon a time," Frerin started, "Amad was dressed like a boy, and she was all alone in the middle of nowhere, with not even a pony to keep her company."

Ah, ponies. I recalled Myrtle…or had it been Minty…that Bilbo and I had rode, and the other pony I had rode before I met everyone…what had his name been?...Sam, it had been Sam…the sweet little thing was long gone by now, having probably died a while ago in that family's stable, old and happy and loved by all their children.

"She was about to go to sleep when she heard orcs, and because she was all alone and in the middle of nowhere she couldn't leave it alone like that and she listened very carefully. She didn't hear any orcs but she heard voices."

"it was the Company of Thorin Oakenshield wasn't it?" Atticus asked.

"It was, and they were making fun of Uncle Bilbo, because he wasn't very adventurous." Frerin answered.

"At least he wasn't in the beginning." I smiled at the children. "I'm sure you've heard of him and Smaug, he was quite brave by that time."

Frerin nodded, then continued. "Well, Bilbo said he was missing his home, and his garden and the tea he used to have every night. Amad pitied him a little, and she knew she had tea in her bag, so she went and got it. Then she wrapped it all up and threw it down for him, but she didn't scramble away."

I cast a glance briefly around at everything I had now because I didn't scramble away.

"They found the tea, and then they all wondered who could have thrown it down. Amad tried to scramble away then but she disturbed the rocks, so they knew she was there, and she had no choice bit to sit up and face them. Uncle Thorin thought it could be an orc, so he ordered Uncle Kili to shoot it."

Certainly not the finest first encounter, I mused.

"But Master Gandalf was there, and he knew Amad wasn't an orc, so he called her down, and that's when they realised she was a nymph. She was in boy's clothes so they thought she was a young boy…"

"They let me stay with them for a short while…and I ended up staying forever." I smiled, completing the tale.

"…and that's the real story of how Amad met the Company." Frerin grinned.

Atticus's eyes were birght. It seemed he was also as entranced by the tales of advendture as my own children were.

The door opened and Fili stepped in, met with Fien's jovialence, Gideon's smile and everyone's warm reception. He glanced up at me, and then burst out laughing. I wondered what could be so funny, but then I remembered I still wore the old hat from long ago. I tore it from my head, and set my hair back down, smoothing out the braids.

"Well, there was a face I hadn't seen in a while." Fili smirked.

"Very funny." I replied, with a light tone of sarcasm.

/

It was time for him to leave shortly after Frerin's father returned. He had promised his own Amad he would be home in time for dinner. Atticus was not so nervous now around Frerin's family. His siblings were fun (even Gideon, who had been a bit shy but was warming up to him), his Adad had a nice laugh, and his Amad was kind, and she had great stories.

Atticus's father had stories too, of his youth and training, but the only adventurous things he had really done were battles, so all the tales were a bit repetitive. He hoped he could come again soon, and maybe if he asked about the Eagles, he could hear that tale.

Or maybe Frerin could meet his own family, it only seemed fair.

Of course, they may act a bit strangely about him at first…

He couldn't help but snicker when Frerin and his father returned him home and his Amad did a small curtsy in the doorway when she thanked them.

**I'm thinking the next chapter is going to focus on the dwelflings...**

**I have a feeling Atticus is going to become that kid that isn't yours but you've known him for so long because he's your kid's friend so he becomes an estranged child of yours.**


End file.
